Hi Everybody!!
September is the peak month for the Fall Migration of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (at this location in Texas). Tonight we will finish the photostudies for the 29 and 30 of September. We had a good rain on the 29th all over South Texas. Within 24 hours new flowers will pop out like snack bars along the Migration Route to Mexico. Some of the bird's favorites respond quickly to rain as: Morning Glories, Trumpet Flowers, Turk's Cap and Bougainvillea which they will find all the way to Mexico if they take the land route. Many birds still fly over the Gulf, non stop. The big herd of birds left on the 21-22 (and most of the bees). More birds came in for the last week in September, and more bees! Enjoy as it is almost over-

Below are the links to the new albums I created in my G+ Photo Album Gallery. Click on the link to go to the photostudies for each album:

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link 1:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931628629045218625

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link 2:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931631194344164305

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link 3:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931633960855353249

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link 4:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931638947857190097

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link 5:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931640419982853105

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link 6:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931646580329356417

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link 7

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117645114459863049265/albums/5931649250793657105

More Info. at the Google Search Index:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell ...
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/id‎
Learn how to identify Ruby-throated Hummingbird, its life history, cool facts, sounds and calls, and watch videos. A flash of green and red, the Ruby-throated ...

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Life History, All About Birds - Cornell ...
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/lifehistory‎
Learn how to identify Ruby-throated Hummingbird, its life history, cool facts, sounds and calls, and watch videos. A flash of green and red, the Ruby-throated ...
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird‎
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species of hummingbird. As with all hummingbirds, this species belongs to the Trochilidae family ...

‎Description - ‎Habitat and range - ‎Behavior - ‎Flight

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Hummingbirds.net
www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html‎
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is by far the most common species that breeds in the eastern half of North ...
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - National Geographic
animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/ruby-throat-hummingbird/‎
Learn all you wanted to know about ruby-throated hummingbirds with pictures, videos, photos, facts, and news from National Geographic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species ofhummingbird.

As with all hummingbirds, this species belongs to the Trochilidae family and is currently included in the Apodiformes order. This small animal is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes^[2]
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Archilochus
Species:	A. colubris
Binomial name
*Archilochus colubris* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Green: summer-only range Blue: winter-only range Yellow: migratory path

Description[edit]

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the smallest bird species that breeds in theEastern United States and Eastern Canada, though is a roughly medium-sized species by hummingbird standards. This hummingbird is from 7 to 9 cm (2.8 to 3.5 in) long and has a 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in) wingspan. Weight can range from 2 to 6 g (0.071 to 0.21 oz), with males averaging 3.4 g (0.12 oz) against the slightly larger female which averages 3.8 g (0.13 oz).^[3]^[4] Adults are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill, at up to 2 cm (0.79 in), is long, straight and very slender. As in all hummingbirds, the toes and feet of this species are quite small, with a middle toe of around 0.6 cm (0.24 in) and atarsus of approximately 0.4 cm (0.16 in). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird can only shuffle if it wants to move along a branch, though it can scratch its head and neck with its feet.^[5]^[6]

The species is sexually dimorphic.^[7] The adult male, shown in the photo, has a ruby red throat patch (also known as a gorget) 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 bill. A molt of feathers occurs once a year, and begins during the autumn migration.

Habitat and range[edit]

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Gadsden Co., Florida

Male ruby-throated hummingbird on branch

The breeding habitat is throughout most of eastern North America and the Canadian prairies, in deciduous and pine forests and forest edges, orchards, and gardens. The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or a tree. Of all North American hummingbirds, this species has the largest breeding range.^[5]

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is migratory, spending most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America as far south as South America^{[citation needed]}, and the West Indies. It breeds throughout the eastern United States, east of the 100th meridian, and in southern Canada in eastern and mixed deciduous forest.^[8] In winter, it is seen mostly in Mexico.

Behavior[edit]

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are solitary. Adults of this species are not social, other than during courtship (which lasts a few minutes); the female also cares for her offspring. Both males and females of any age are aggressive towards other hummingbirds. They may defend territories, such as a feeding territory, attacking and chasing other hummingbirds that enter. In late summer to early fall they fatten up for migration. This is important because, as part of their migration, they must fly across the Gulf of Mexico. This feat is impressive, as a 800 km (500 mi), non-stop flight over water would seemingly require a caloric energy that far exceeds an adult hummingbird's body weight of 3 g (0.11 oz). However, researchers discovered the tiny birds can increase their body mass up to double with lean mass in preparation for their Gulf crossing. The additional mass, stored as fat, provides enough energy for the birds to achieve the flight.

They feed frequently while active during the day. When temperatures drop, particularly on cold nights, they may conserve energy by entering hypothermic torpor.

Flight[edit]

Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25–30% of their body weight, and they have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but fly backwards, and to hover in front of flowers as it feeds on nectar, or hovers mid-air to catch tiny insects. Hummingbirds are the only known birds that can fly backwards.

During hovering, (and likely other modes of flight) ruby-throated hummingbird wings beat 55 times per second.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Archilochus colubris.

Wikispecies has information related to: Archilochus colubris

Male Ruby-Throated hummingbird guarding his territory from the top of a tomato stake. He will chase off any other hummingbirds that try to feed in his area.

Tracking Migration/Journey North
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Nest Images (Day-by-Day)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Nest Cycle
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Information - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
Ruby-throated hummingbird at feeder (animation)
Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project
All about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
How to Photograph Hummingbirds - including many photos of this species
Migration map (US and Canada only)
2007 spring migration
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Stamps
Ruby-throated Hummingbird videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
Videos of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds
Research project on the Ruby-throated hummingbird in Québec
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration Map Archives (2002-present)

Thanks to G+AutoAwesomeBackUp for creating the following Highlight Clips for these new albums.
With the posting of these pics, we have finished September 2013!!! Most of the Migration is finished at Rainbow Creek. There are still a few surprises for October (tomorrow). Stay Tuned!