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Project Noah Nature School
Archilochus colubris
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is 7–9 cm long with an 8–11 cm wingspan, and weighs about 3 g. Adults are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill is long, straight and very slender. The species is dimorphic. The adult male, shown in the photo, has a ruby red throat patch which may appear black in some lighting, and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generally no throat patch, though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch. The male is smaller than the female, and has a slightly shorter beak. A molt of feathers occurs once a year, and begins during the autumn migration. [REF: Wikipedia]
Feeding from a Rose of Sharon bush.
Spotted on Aug 3, 2011
Submitted on Aug 4, 2011
1 Comment
love these little creatures!