Photo by Fred Zwicky of a juvenile ruby-throated hummingbird.

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris
Present in Illinois: Late April-early October
Illinois Status: Common migrant and fairly common summer resident
Illinois Range: Statewide
Illinois Habitat: Frequents woodlands, woods edge, weedy areas and gardens
Winter Range: Northwest Mexico and extreme south Texas to Costa Rica, occasionally western Panama
Length: 3 1/4 inches
Weight: 0.1 ounces
Description: Iridescent green back and head with white belly; bright red throat on male
Song: High squeaky notes
Nest: 1 to 1 1/4 inch cup of leaves held together with spider webs; decorated with lichens and moss
Eggs: 2 white
Broods per year: Two or three
Food: Nectar, tree sap, small insects and spiders
Habits: The male courtship display is a flight of wide arcs; both males and females are highly aggressive and fight for space and food
Notable: Smallest bird in North America and the only species of hummingbird in the eastern United States; favor columbine and trumpet vines in the spring and summer and jewelweed patches in the fall.
SOURCE—The Birds of Illinois by H. David Bohlen

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