Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Hummingbird family (Trochilidae)
Adult weighs the same as 2 ½ paper clips! Upper parts iridescent green. Male has an iridescent red throat. Female has a whitish throat. Long bill looks like a toothpick.
Nesting:
Nest is about the size of a half dollar coin, covered with lichens. Clutch size – 2 eggs. Eggs are white, tiny, look like tiny mint candies. Only the female builds the nest and raises the young.
Voice:
Rapid squeaky chipping.
Name Origin:
The genus name Archilochus is from the Greek for "chief of a body of people." The species name colubris is from the Latin for “serpent,” but the species name was probably a misspelling by Linnaeus and should have been colibre, from the French for “hummingbird.”
In the Nature Park:
Neotropical migrant; flies across the Gulf of Mexico nonstop during migration. Arrives in mid to late April.
Photos:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird female (left) and male (right)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest
