Archilochus colubris
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Featured photoruby-throated-hummingbird.jpgArchilochus colubris, the ruby-throated hummingbird, is the only hummingbird species that breeds in eastern North America. Adults are 7 to 9 cm long with a wingspan of 8 to 11 cm and weigh 2 to 6 g. Adult males show iridescent emerald-green upperparts and a brilliant ruby-red throat patch (the gorget); females are similar above with a clean pale underside lacking the gorget. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. Ruby-throated hummingbirds beat their wings about fifty-three times per second in normal flight and undertake one of the most extraordinary migrations of any small bird.
Quick facts
- Habitat
- Open deciduous and mixed woodland, woodland edges, gardens with abundant nectar-bearing flowers, and during migration any flower-rich habitat. The species is the textbook 'garden hummingbird' across the eastern half of North America.
- Range
- Breeds across the eastern half of North America from southern Canada south to the Gulf Coast and west to the Great Plains. Winters from Mexico south through Central America to Costa Rica and Panama. The species' breeding range is the largest of any North American hummingbird.
- Size
- 7–9 cm body · 8–11 cm wingspan · 2–6 g
- Plumage
- Adult males show iridescent emerald-green upperparts and head crown, a brilliant ruby-red gorget (throat patch) that flashes in direct light, and white underparts. Females show similar emerald-green upperparts but lack the gorget — the throat is plain white with fine grey-green flecking. Juveniles resemble females. The structural ruby red of the male's gorget appears black or dull when not lit directly — a trick of the structural colour physics that makes the gorget seem to flash on and off as the male turns his head.
- Song
- Vocalizations are mostly thin chittering calls; the species has no loud song in the songbird sense. The wingbeat itself produces a steady high-pitched hum — the source of the family's English name.
- Migration
- Long-distance migrant. North American breeders winter from Mexico south to Panama. Many individuals cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single non-stop flight — about 800 kilometres of open water — typically completed in eighteen to twenty-two hours.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (LC)
Overview
Archilochus colubris is the only hummingbird species that breeds in eastern North America — every other North American hummingbird is restricted to the western half of the continent. The species' breeding range extends further north than any other hummingbird in the world. The genus Archilochus contains only one other species (the closely related black-chinned hummingbird A. alexandri of western North America), and the two have similar breeding ecologies on opposite sides of the continent.
Migration
Most ruby-throated hummingbirds make a non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico — about 800 kilometres of open water — twice each year, typically completed in eighteen to twenty-two hours. The crossing is one of the most extraordinary migrations of any small bird relative to body mass: a 3-gram bird flying 800 km over open ocean without rest, fuelled by pre-migration weight gain that can double the bird's body mass. Hurricane-related mortality during the crossing is documented but most birds make the flight successfully.
Behaviour and metabolism
Ruby-throated hummingbirds beat their wings about fifty-three times per second in normal hovering flight, and considerably faster during display dives. The species' metabolic rate is among the highest of any bird — approaching the theoretical limit for a vertebrate organism. To survive cold nights, the species enters torpor, dropping body temperature by twenty-five degrees Celsius and reducing metabolic rate to about one-fifteenth of normal. Without torpor, the species could not survive overnight at northern latitudes.
Sources & further reading (2)
- iucn-red-list — accessed 2026-04-29
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-04-29
Frequently asked questions
How fast does a ruby-throated hummingbird's wings beat?
About fifty-three beats per second in normal hovering flight, with faster rates (up to 200 beats per second) during male courtship-display dives. The wing motion is a horizontal figure-eight that generates lift on both forward and backward strokes — unique among birds and the basis of hummingbird hovering flight. The audible hum that gives the family its English name is produced directly by the wingbeat at this frequency.
Do ruby-throated hummingbirds really cross the Gulf of Mexico nonstop?
Yes — most ruby-throated hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single non-stop flight twice each year. The 800 km crossing takes 18-22 hours and is fuelled by pre-migration weight gain that can double the bird's body mass. The crossing is one of the most extraordinary migrations of any small bird per gram of body weight, and is documented through radar tracking, banding recoveries, and offshore observations.
Why does the male's gorget seem to flash on and off?
The brilliant ruby-red gorget is structural, not pigmentary — produced by light scattering from feather microstructure. The colour appears red only when the viewer's eye is in the narrow angle of the scattered red wavelength; from any other angle, the gorget appears dull dark. As the male turns his head, the gorget catches and loses the viewing angle alternately, producing the dramatic 'flashing' visual effect that makes the species' display so striking.
