Hummingbirds

It is getting to the end of summer, and many bird species that winter in Central and South America will soon be starting their migrations.  Of the 320 species of hummingbirds, 15 spend the summer breeding in North America, from the Gulf Coast states to southern Canada, before returning to winter habitat farther south.  Only one species, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, breeds east of the Mississippi River. 

• 7 of the 15 hummers that breed in North America:
  • Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna, by Alan Scmierer-USFWS, Mar 2007
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilobus alexandri, by Paul Crook-USFWS, Jun 2024
  • Blue-throated Hummingbird, Lampornis clemenciae, by Alan Schmierer-USFWS, Jun 2024
  • Broad-billed Hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris, by Alan Scmierer-USFWS, Mar 2022
  • Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Amazilia yucatanensis, by Alan Scmierer-USFWS, Jan 2010
  • Broad-Tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus, by Tom Koerner-USFWS, Feb 2024
  • Allen’s Hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, by Wendy Miller-USFWS, Jun 2024

Hummingbirds have a very high metabolism with a normal heart rate of 250 beats per minute that accelerates to almost 1250 beats per minute when in flight.  They consume large amounts of nectar each day to get enough sugar to support their energy requirements.  Several small grooves running the length of their tongue funnel nectar into their throat by capillary action, a force that causes liquid to rise in a small tube without needing to use air to suck the liquid in.  They also eat any small invertebrate to fulfill protein, vitamin, and mineral needs.  Hummingbirds snatch insects mid-air while in flight, poach them from spider webs, and glean tiny moth caterpillars from new leaves and branch tips.  Another foraging method uses the blast of air beneath their powerful wings to roll over leaves on the forest floor, revealing the insect life below.

Hummingbirds do not bond with a mate.  Females establish a territory that optimizes the available nectar and offers multiple nest sites.  Males establish a territory based on encountering as many females as possible.  Both will defend their areas from other hummingbirds, as well as other nectar feeders including butterflies and bees.  Daily feeding starts on the outer edge of their territory to chase out any overnight interlopers and ends with nectar sources deep inside the area’s interior.  Males will breed with as many females as possible.  Females may have more than one brood of eggs each year, either concurrently or one brood following another.

Nests are about 2″ in diameter, built of small twigs, lined with soft plant material, and covered on the outside with greenish-gray lichens.  Nests are bound to branches with spider silk, usually in a forest clearing.  The lichens provide camouflage by making the nest appear as a large knot when seen from below.  Females reach breeding age at the end of their first year, and can breed throughout their lifetimes.  They construct one or more nests, each containing two white eggs, the size of peas, which are incubated by only the female for 14 to 16 days.  The male takes no part in raising the young birds, coming together with the female only during mating. 

Hummingbirds found in the western portions of North America travel overland migration routes.  However, midwestern and eastern birds fly non-stop over the Gulf Of Mexico.  A hummingbird can increase its fat reserves and double its body weight in the 7 to 10 days prior to the overseas trip.  Through studies using banded birds, we have learned that they fly alone, normally at night, along with large flocks of other birds.  Young birds, making the trip for the first time, can successfully navigate the migration route with no prior training.  Their guidance system, how it works, and how it is learned are all still a mystery.

No hummingbird species are listed as endangered.  However, hybridization among species is common, and their small size and great speed make them very difficult to count and track.  Little data is available about population size changes and movements; however, more birds have been found over-wintering as far north as the Gulf Coast states of North America.

At the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, we have numerous bird specimens on display, including hummingbirds.  We welcome you to come in and learn more about these amazing creatures.

• Remaining 8 species that breed in North America:
• Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope, by Barbara Wheeler-USFWS, Nov 2021
• Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, by Wendy Miller-USFWS, May 2020
• Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens by Doug Greenberg-USFWS, Aug 2017
• Lucifer Hummingbird, Calothorax lucifer, by Jim Gain-USFWS, Mar 2022
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilobus colubris, by Alan Scmierer-USFWS, Jun 2024
• Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus, USFWS, Jun 2024
• Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Amazilia violiceps, by budgora, Mar 2014
• White-eared Hummingbird, Basilinna leucotis, by Alan Scmierer-USFWS, Mar 2022