RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
SR

The male bird is known by the brilliant coloring of his throat, but this is the only mark that the female lacks. The long needle-like bill is used to probe deeply into blossoms of honeysuckle, jewel weed and cardinal flowers as well as domestic gladiolas, nasturtiums and canna lilies. Some nectar is taken but primarily the food consists of minute insects nearly invisible to the eye.

The nest is probably the most beautiful of any bird. It is a dainty little cup of moss, cobwebs and lichens fastened like a saddle to a small tree limb twenty to thirty feet high. In this nest, two eggs the size of beans are laid. When the young hatch, they are fed partially digested insects that are regurgitated by the parent bird.

Hummingbirds are small but well able to take care of themselves. Males are known to fight each other during mating season, but they will also attack large birds of prey that come near the nest or young.