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Male rufous hummingbird
Female rufous hummingbird
Length: 2.8-3.5 inches
Weight: 0.1-0.2 ounces
Wingspan: 4.3 inches
Body shape: a slender, nearly straight bill, a tail that tapers to a point, and fairly short wings
Wing shape: Narrow, Rounded, Short
Tail shape: Multi-pointed, Notched, Rounded, Square-tipped
Males
Color: bright orange on the back and belly, with a vivid iridescent-red throat (may have some green on their backs and/or crown)
Females
Color: upper parts are generally green, the tail, belly and sides are often tinged with reddish-brown (though not as prominently as in males.), throats are white with green and the occasional iridescent orange spots and their wings are dark
The commonly heard call consists of a high chip.
Male and female Rufous Hummingbirds make a fast series of warning chip notes at intruding birds. Males performing a dive display for a female make a "chu-chu-chu-chu" sound at the bottom of their dive.
See: All around the neighborhood. They usually have nests in evergreen trees.
Hear: You have to be VERY quiet to hear their raspy chirp around the neighborhood. There are some that live in the trees in our parking lot.
Habitat
Habitat
Forest clearings and meadows
Nest
Nest
Nests are often situated in deciduous or coniferous trees 3-30 feet high but generally in the lower part of the tree. Nest consists of a 2 inch cup of mosses, plant fibers, and spider webs and are camouflaged on the outside with moss and lichens.
Eggs
Eggs
Eggs: 2-3
Color: white
Hummingbirds have long, specialized bills and extendable, tube-like tongues that allow them to reach deep into colorful tubular flowers to extract nectar. While nectar forms the bulk of their diet, Rufous Hummingbirds also supplement their nutrition with insects and spiders, including gnats, midges, and flies. They catch these small creatures in mid-air or by gleaning them from foliage.
Rufous Hummingbirds, like most other hummingbirds, beat their wings extremely fast to be able to hover in place. The wingbeat frequency of Rufous Hummingbirds has been recorded at 52–62 wingbeats per second.
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