Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Illustration by H. Douglas Pratt and Sophie Webb

Map

Audio

The ruby-throated is the only hummer seen regularly in much of the East. Monotypic. Length 3.2–3.7" (8–9 cm); bill 14–19 mm.

Identification Primaries relatively tapered. Tail forked to double-rounded. Adult male: solid ruby red gorget with black chin and face. Adult female: throat whitish, often with lines of dusky flecks, rarely 1–2 red spots. Sides often washed buff, often brightest on rear flanks. Immature male: resembles adult female but upperparts in fall fresher, with fine buff tips; lores often darker; throat usually with ruby spots; tail slightly longer and more forked. Complete molt in winter produces plumage like adult male. Immature female: resembles adult female but fall plumage fresher; throat lacks red spots.

Similar Species Black-chinned has blunter primaries. Adult male has black throat with violet lower band, shorter tail. Females and immatures similar to Ruby-throated but generally duller green above (especially crown) and dingier below (ruby-throated bright emerald above and whiter below). Black-chinned tail less forked; often pumps tail strongly while feeding (ruby-throated usually holds tail fairly still). Problem identifications best confirmed by checking details of primary shape. See Costa’s and Anna’s hummingbirds.

Voice Call: a slightly twangy or nasal chips, chih and tchew, given in flight and perched. Also varied twittering series. Indistinguishable from black-chinned, but generally lacks strongly buzzy or sharp, smacking quality of Anna’s and Selasphorus, and distinct from high, tinny chips of Costa’s.

Status and Distribution Breeds North America, winters Mexico to Panama. Breeding: common in woodland, gardens, etc. Migration: mainly March–May, August–October. Winter: rare (mainly November–March) in the Southeast. Vagrant: casual in the West.

—From the National Geographic book Complete Birds of North America, 2006

More Hummingbirds

Bird Features

Backyard Birding Central

Want to learn more about our feathered friends of the sky? Visit our Backyard Birding site for facts, photos, videos, and more.
What's That Bird?

Identify your backyard visitors in a flash! Just answer four simple questions to search our database of 150 backyard birds common to Canada and the U.S.

See More Bird Features »

Photo Galleries

See More Bird Photos »

Bird News

Why Are Birds Falling From the Sky?

Seemingly freak bird die-offs in Arkansas and elsewhere are making headlines. But is it just hype? And what causes airborne die-offs?
Photos: Bizarre Arkansas Bird Die-Off

Birds were falling from the sky and fish were found floating dead en masse in two recent but unrelated Arkansas die-offs, experts say.

See More Animal News »

Games & More

See More Animal Games »

Birds A-Z

Animal News

Bird Books

National Geographic Magazine

Bowerbirds Gallery

To woo a "Mary," bowerbirds decorate with shells, cans, even pink paper clips.
Counting Cranes Gallery

How many whooping cranes are there? Not enough. See photos of these birds in action.

Newsletters

Jane Goodall

Over the course of 50 years Jane has witnessed the lives of three generations of chimpanzees.
Explorer Moment

Ed Viesturs shares an early morning view from Everest.

From the Magazine

Gannets Pictures

Champion divers but clumsy landers, doting parents but hostile neighbors—northern gannets abound in contradictions.
Estonia's Ural Owls

Photographer Sven Začek provides an intimate view of this large raptor.