Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
The ruby-throated hummingbird is a welcome visitor to the suburban garden and can be easily attracted with a feeder or with native nectar plants, like cardinal flower and trumpet vine.
In return for nectar, the hummer often serves as a pollinator carrying pollen on it’s bill and head from plant to plant. To maintain their extremely high metabolism, they must feed frequently.
At night they may feed on a reserve of food stored in their crop, and reduce their metabolism through a process called ‘torpor’. View the video below for a look at newborn hummingbirds... |
