When my husband John and I lived in the city, an occasional hummingbird visitor was cause for celebration. But in our new home, our feeders are busy, and these birds are amazing to watch.

One day during the first spring at our new locale, John announced that there was a hummingbird at the front window.  We had heard stories of Rose, the previous owner, having hummers eat from a cup in her hand if she sat still long enough.

Our roof overhangs the front porch and there is a hook right in line with the window. I figured that hook was the perfect place to hang a hummingbird feeder.  I quickly found mine, brewed up a batch of hummingbird food, and hoped the bird wouldn’t give up on us before I got it out there. But no need to worry. We were on their radar, and they weren’t going anywhere.  

We’ve been here for a few years now. I have learned a great deal about hummers and their habits and what amazing little creatures they are.

Characteristics

Hummingbirds are tiny, only three to five inches long. Sometimes I can still mistake one for a giant bee or a dragonfly. Their amazing maneuverability with wings and tail allows the bird to hover in one spot, fly backwards, or even fly upside down. Their wings beat up to 60 times a second, looking like nothing but a blur, while producing the whirring sound as they buzz by.

Watching them is fascinating. They make up for their small size with attitude, guarding their territory and food sources. We have one bird I call The Sentinel. She sits at the top of a tall bridal veil bush and polices the feeder. I don’t know how she decides who gets to eat there, but she is the property manager zooming at anyone she feels doesn’t belong. She is relentless.

Hummingbirds only live in the Western Hemisphere. There are 300 different species, but only the Ruby Throated variety lives in Michigan. The males have the ruby throat that flashes brilliant red, and remarkably the throat feathers do not have any red pigment. There is instead a structural aspect of the feathers that allows the red to flash when hit with light at a certain angle, much like peacock feathers.

I see many more females as they spend more time feeding while the males are more secretive, but watchful over their territory. Females don’t have the flashy red throat but come in a variety of colors from metallic green to bronze to grayish brown with white fronts.

Their fast metabolism needs constant nourishment; they eat every 10 to 15 minutes. Their long slender beak reaches deep inside tubular flowers. Using their split tongue, they can trap the liquid nectar, going in and out 20 times a second. Although nectar is a major food source, they need the protein derived from a variety of insects like fruit flies, spiders, gnats, mosquitoes, and even wasps. They also catch bugs at the base of their beak, which can drop down to snag a meal.

Hummingbird nests are about the size of a walnut. The female of the pair builds the nest and raises the young. They prefer oak, maple, and fruit trees, but sometimes they will choose an unconventional spot. The nests are held together with spider web silk, lined with a soft material like dandelion down or cotton, and camouflaged with lichen on the outside. With the spider silk, the nest can expand as the baby birds grow. The female will lay two white eggs, each about the size of a jellybean, and incubate them for 14 to 18 days. It takes about three weeks for the baby birds to learn to fly and leave the nest.

When I first saw the young at my feeders, I wondered why there were so many females. Where were the boy babies? Then I learned that juvenile hummers all look like mom. The males develop their ruby throat after the first molt in the wintering grounds. It’s not till they come back the following year to breed that the boys flash their ruby throats.

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