Hummingbirds of the Northeast USA

It's time to welcome back the one and only kind of Hummingbird that brings visual delight to our Northeast USA summers !  The Ruby-throated Hummingbird,{ aka Archilochus colubris }, spends the winters in Florida, spanning through east Texas. The adult males have a brilliant red throat that appears black in poor light; underparts are whitish; sides and flanks dusky green with a forked tail.  The females have a whitish throat. 

The whole bird measures 3 and 3/4 inches long,{ 10 cm }, and moves its wings so fast you can hear the hum and barely see the wing better than a blur !

It's easy to attract a family of hummers to your window or porch in spring with a proper feeder...but don't wait too long or the window of opportunity will be closed for the season...and... PLEASE  DON'T MAKE YOUR DECISION LIGHTLY !!!  Hosting hummingbirds is a BIG responsibility.  It is a May through September obligation of supplying the food they rely on.  You can expect to spend about an hour a week making certain their food is available and fresh.

The Ruby-throated Male begins arriving at the end of April through the first few weeks of May.  He'll be searching for just the right location to call his own, so that when his mate arrives they can build a tiny nest and give birth to the next generation.  The MOST important thing he's looking for is a reliable food source; hopefully your feeder.

Once they pick a location to nest, they won't leave...and if you have attracted them with a feeder, they will come to rely on that food.  They eat often and they eat a great deal.  If you forget to fill the feeder, and there are no other proper flowers for them to rely on, the entire family can die within a day or so !

So, if you want Hummers that will hang around all summer long, you'll have to make a decision to place a proper Hummingbird Feeder near your window or hanging from your porch, very soon.

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