Ruby Throated Hummingbird Behavioral Adaptations

These brilliant tiny precision flying creatures glitter like jewels in the full sun then vanish with a zip toward the next nectar source.

Ruby throated hummingbird behavioral adaptations.

Humans might even consider them to be antisocial. A flash of green and red the ruby throated hummingbird is eastern north america s sole breeding hummingbird. More than 300 species of hummingbirds are known to exist today and habitats range from tropical to temperate. Hundreds of kinds of hummingbirds nest in the american tropics and more than a dozen in the western u s but east of the great plains there is only the ruby throat.

Ruby throated hummingbird archilochus colubris introduction. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds and some people turn their yards into buzzing clouds of hummingbirds each summer. Hovering in front of a flower to sip nectar it beats its wings. The ruby throated hummingbird archilochus colubris is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in central america mexico and florida and migrates to canada and other parts of eastern north america for the summer to breed.

Hummingbirds evolved to display unique adaptations and anatomy allowing them to survive in several climates. Below is a list of hummingbirds adaptations and an explanation of how this advancement aids them in their daily life. The ruby throated hummingbird is a tiny creature in a big world so adapting to its environment is crucial for it s survival. Rufous and ruby throated hummingbirds are both specialists and generalists.

Adult male rthus arrive on their breeding grounds in spring and quickly establish non overlapping feeding territories from which they drive away intruders especially rival males. Many people recognize them because they aren t afraid of the presence of humans. They mostly eat nectar and tiny insects like specialists but can branch out to take sap from sapsucker drill holes and can even eat willow catkins when a sudden cold snap makes other spring foods. There it is fairly common in summer in open woods and gardens.

They are easily identified by their small size vivid coloring long beaks and rapid wing movement. They migrate and nest over a broad geographical range like generalists. It is by far the most common hummingbird seen east of the mississippi river in north america. Ruby throated hummingbirds archilochus colubris like most hummingbird species demonstrate strong territorial behavior.