Ruby-throated Hummingbird Fun Facts

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only hummingbird species known to nest in eastern North America

    Ruby-throated Hummingbird HY male, Fort Atkinson home, 3Oct2014 2
    Ruby-throated Hummingbird, hatch year male
  • Weight of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird: roughly the same as that of a penny
  • The males only reproductive contribution is copulation
  • Males arrive first on the breeding grounds with the sole objective to mate with as many females as possible
  • The adult males are typically the first to also migrate south for the winter
  • The females build the nest, incubate and feed the young
  • Nests are typically constructed in a deciduous tree 6-30 feet high
  • Nest size: approximately the size of half a walnut
  • The female almost always lays 2 eggs
  • Insects are an important part of the Ruby-throated hummingbird’s diet
  • Average life span: 3-4 years
  • Oldest male on record: 7 years, 8 month
  • Oldest female on record: 9 years, 2 months
  • Most frequent predator: Blue Jay, nest predator
  • Less common but known predators: Chinese praying mantis, orb weaver spiders, racoon, squirrel, Common Grackle, Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • Earliest Arrival Record for WI: April 12, 2002
  • Latest Departure Record for WI: November 30, 2006