![]() ![]() Most nests are sheltered from above by over-hanging leaves and branches. Hummingbirds build their tiny nests on the small limbs of trees or shrubs, usually 5 to 20 feet above the ground. They prefer areas where they can find nectar-bearing flowers, with trees and shrubs nearby for shelter and perching. Habitat RequirementsÄuring the breeding season, ruby-throated hummingbirds are found in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, woodland clearings and edges, parks, and suburban gardens. She incubates the eggs and raises the young without assistance from the male. The female builds the nest and generally lays two eggs. The birds will often use this same display to defend a food source such as a patch of flowers from other hummingbirds. Males perform a pendulum-like aerial display to attract females. Hummingbirds are promiscuous: one male mates with more than one female. They stay in the Northeast until September, when they migrate back to Central America. They arrive in Alabama by late March Washington, D.C., by mid-April Pennsylvania by mid-April to early May and further north in New England by May. They return in the spring and move northward, following the blooming of early-season flowering plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and columbine. The birds fly nonstop 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico during migration. Each fall it migrates from the eastern United States to Mexico and Central America. The ruby-throated hummingbird is only 3 to 4 inches long and weighs less than 0.2 ounces. Sixteen hummingbird species occur on a regular basis in the United States, but only the ruby-throated hummingbird is found east of the Mississippi River. More than 330 species of hummingbirds live in North and South America. ![]() Named for the humming sound made by their wings in flight, these birds are renowned for their small size, amazing energetic feats, and iridescent beauty. ![]() With the approach of summer, it is time to welcome Pennsylvania's smallest bird, the ruby-throated hummingbird. ![]()
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