When Europeans arrived in North America, they encountered a type of bird so unfamiliar to them that they speculated it was a cross between a bird and an insect. They were hummingbirds, named for the humming sound produced by the wingbeats. A total of 319 species exist in the world, found only in the Western Hemisphere.

If you are lucky enough to see a hummingbird in South Dakota, it is most likely a ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), the common hummingbird species of the eastern U.S. Its breeding range closely corresponds to the deciduous and mixed forests of the eastern states and west-central Canada. Hummingbirds have long fascinated us because of their diminutive size, their acrobatic flight, and their amazing migration journeys.

Measuring less than 4 inches long, the ruby-throated hummingbird weighs less than half an ounce, or slightly more than a penny. The common name comes from the ruby-colored throat, or gorget, of the male. The gorget’s feathers are not pigmented red and may appear black in the shadows. Sunlight brings out the brilliant iridescence. Both sexes have a metallic greenish back. The male’s tail is slightly forked. The slightly larger female lacks the red throat, and her rounded tail is white-tipped.

The small size and fairylike appearance of the ruby-throated hummingbird belie its tremendous migration abilities. In early July, birds begin laying on extra fat in preparation for fall migration. In only one or two weeks, individuals may increase their weight by 50-75%. Males start their southward journey in mid- to late August en route to their winter destination of southern Mexico and parts of Central America. Adult females are the next to start fall migration, followed by juveniles. Fall migrants often feed on the nectar of flowering jewelweeds, also called touch-me-nots. Although some birds may follow the gulf coastline south, many rubythroats cross the nearly 500-mile expanse of the Gulf of Mexico. So unbelievable was this feat to many that a myth arose that hummingbirds migrated on the backs of larger birds, such as Canada geese.

Males are also the first group to begin the northward migration to breeding areas. Spring migrants do not follow flowering plants. Instead, researchers have noticed a connection between migrating hummingbirds and the earlier migration of yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Sapsuckers drill rows of holes in trees and revisit the holes for sap and insects attracted by the sap. In the absence of flower nectar, hummingbirds visit sapsucker-drilled holes, called sap wells, in search of sap and insects.

The male rubythroat selects a breeding territory within such habitats as deciduous forests, woodlands with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, woodland edges, suburban gardens, or orchards. The presence of ample food and cover are the most important factors as the male selects his territory, which he fiercely defends against intruders. As with human real estate, the keys are location, location, and location. If his first territory site does not attract a mate, he may move as far as 1 ½ to 2 miles to claim a new site.

Rubythroats are typically polygynous breeders, meaning that a male mates with several females during the breeding season. The male uses two displays to court a visiting female. The dive display is a looping dive from above his potential mate. Once he has the attention of a perched female, the male begins his pendulum display, a side-to-side arcing flight with his gorget extended to expose his ruby throat for the female. She may respond with a side-to-side head bob to match his display. After mating, the male and female go their separate ways - the female to build a nest, lay eggs, and rear young; the male to defend his territory and mate with additional females.

The female often selects a nest site situated near the end of a sloping branch in an open area that is likely near sources of water and food. Nest building takes about a week and begins with a flat foundation of thistle and dandelion down formed in a saddle shape and attached to the branch with spider webs. She solidifies the nest base by tamping the material with her tiny feet. The nest continues to take shape, with spider webbing serving as the thread, as she laces material together with a figure-8 bill motion. Lichens often cover the nest’s exterior. The nest size is often compared to the size of half an English walnut shell.

The female alone incubates the typical two-egg clutch for nearly two weeks. The chicks are altricial, or helpless, upon hatching and brooded by the female almost constantly until their eyes open at 9 days. Chicks fledge when 2 ½ to 3 weeks old. The female continues feeding her fledged chicks for several days. She may have as many as 3 broods per nesting season.

A hummingbird’s main foods are flower nectar and insects. Native nectar plants found in South Dakota include touch-me-nots (Impatiens spp.), columbines (Aconitum spp.), and wild bergamot (Monarda spp.). Hummingbirds are diurnal feeders, selecting nectar sources based on a flower’s corolla length and nectar volume and concentration, with flower color likely a less important factor. In one experiment, ruby-throated hummingbirds chose first-day flowers of Turks’s turban (Malvaviscus arboreus), which are richer in nectar than are second-day flowers. . However, birds chose second-day flowers when nectar was artificially added.

It is not surprising that newly arrived Europeans were perplexed by hummingbirds. Even today, people sometimes mistake several of the sphinx or hawk moths for hummingbirds, particularly the white-lined sphinx, which often nectars at petunias both during the day and night. Insect foods include mosquitoes, spiders, gnats, fruit flies, and small bees. Hummingbirds catch insects on the wing, pluck spiders from their webs, and pick larvae and eggs from leaves and bark of trees.

Some impressive hummingbird statistics include wing speed (40-80 beats/second), respiration rate (250/minute), and heart rate (250 beats/minute at rest, 1,200 beats/minute in flight). Hummingbirds require an estimated 7,000 calories/day, three times the equivalent daily caloric need of humans. Bird enthusiasts have taken advantage of this tremendous food need by attracting hummingbirds with artificial nectar feeders.

For most South Dakotans, spring and fall are the most likely times to attract hummingbirds to feeders. Feeders should be easy to fill and clean and placed in an area that is shaded, protected from the wind, and near perch sites. The recipe is simple. Mix a sugar water solution in a 1 to 4 ratio, and bring it to a boil. Let the solution cool, and fill the feeder. Store leftover solution in the refrigerator. Do not add honey or red food coloring to the nectar solution. Clean feeders at least every 2-3 days by rinsing with hot water without soap, or fill feeders with vinegar and uncooked rice and shake vigorously. People sometimes worry that hummingbird feeders delay natural migration, but studies have not borne out this myth.