[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

This male Ruby-throated Hummingbird was photographed at the SPI Convention Center gardens, South Padre Island, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: April 23, 2015)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird was photographed at a home feeder, Weslaco, Texas. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: October 02, 2018)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only Hummingbirds which occur in the eastern US and southeastern Canada. Hummingbirds get their name from the low humming sound produced by their rapidly beating wings. There are a number of birds that can hover, but Hummingbirds are the only ones that can actually fly backwards. Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. The effect is similar to a mirror reflecting bright light into your eyes. If the mirror is turned even slightly, the bright light disappears. Females lack this coloring since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This female was photographed at a backyard feeder in central New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 180mm f2.8 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: September 1997)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only Hummingbirds which occur in the eastern US and southeastern Canada. Hummingbirds get their name from the low humming sound produced by their rapidly beating wings. There are a number of birds that can hover, but Hummingbirds are the only ones that can actually fly backwards. Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. The effect is similar to a mirror reflecting bright light into your eyes. If the mirror is turned even slightly, the bright light disappears. Females lack this coloring since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This male was photographed near a backyard feeder in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm f4 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: August 1999)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only Hummingbirds which occur in the eastern US and southeastern Canada. Hummingbirds get their name from the low humming sound produced by their rapidly beating wings. There are a number of birds that can hover, but Hummingbirds are the only ones that can actually fly backwards. Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. The effect is similar to a mirror reflecting bright light into your eyes. If the mirror is turned even slightly, the bright light disappears. Females lack this coloring since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This male was photographed at a backyard feeder in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 180mm f2.8 EDAF lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: August 1999)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. Sometimes the gorget displays a "diluted" color when viewed from the side, as the orange/yellow coloration of this male's gorget shows. This male Ruby-throated Hummingbird was photographed at Ingram, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: August 1999)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

This male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, showing how the gorget feathers turn black if the bird isn't facing the observer, was photographed at Santa Ana NWR, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2000)

[Length 3.75 in. Wingspan 4.5 in.]

This brilliant adult male Rufous Hummingbird was photographed at a feeder during fall migration in the Texas Hill Country, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4 lens on Kodak EliteChrome 200 film. (Date: May 2002)