Spring is on its way, and the hummingbirds have begun their journey to the eastern coast. About fourteen different species can be found in the United States, but the most common in the Southeast is the beautiful ruby-throated hummingbird. Migrating 2000 miles from Mexico and Central America, the ruby-throated hummingbird is one of the most fascinating birds to look for this season. This tiny emerald and ruby colored bird is only about 3.5 inches long and weighs less than 3 grams. It can be sighted from early March to late October.
To get closer to these magnificent jewels, you can plant gardens or set up sugar-water feeders in your yard. Hummingbirds are attracted to bright tubular flowers and nectar sources. Some of the more popular flowers that hummingbirds will feed at include butterfly bushes, honeysuckle, jewelweed, trumpet creepers, salvia, turk's caps, four o'clock flowering tobacco, geraniums, lantanas, petunias, and impatiens.
Sugar-Water Recipe:
- 1 part sugar
- 4 parts water
- Boil for 3-4 minutes and let cool before serving. Store in refrigerator.
Little-known facts about your ruby-throated neighbor:
- Hummingbirds can fly backwards and hover.
- Before migration, a hummingbird will increase its body mass by nearly 50% in the form of fat to store energy for its long journey.
- Hummingbirds lick nectar at 13 licks per second.
- A hummingbird beats its wings up to 90 times per second.
- Its heart beats at about 1260 times a minute.
- To save energy at night, a hummingbird's heartbeat will often slow to 50 beats per minute for 8-14 hours at a time.