Pick up a penny and you'll have an idea of the heft of one of Wisconsin's feistiest birds, the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird. Measuring only about 3 1/2 inches from beak to tail, hummingbirds nevertheless will chatter at humans who get in their way and battle one another at feeders.
While roughly 16 species of hummingbirds populate the U.S. and Canada, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the only one that nests in Wisconsin (though three other species have been sighted). Vast numbers call our state home from spring to fall. Each year, they're drawn hundreds and hundreds of miles from the tropics by the warm-season burst of flowers and insects.
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Hummingbirds live intense, even driven lives, and they seem to have more life force than other creatures. Since they burn through energy so quickly, they must eat every 15 minutes or so. Such a frenzied lifestyle exacts a cost: They spend up to 80 percent of each day resting on a favorite perch, surveying their staunchly defended kingdoms.
Hummingbirds are unique in their ability to hover in the air. They don't bathe like songbirds do; instead, they slide down a wet leaf for a sort of surf wash. They also don't eat seeds or berries, but their diet does contain one surprise—they're little carnivores. They hunt for small flying insects to augment the nectar that makes up the majority of their diet.
Don't be fooled if you see hummers that lack the characteristic red throat; only the males have the telltale iridescent throat feathers. The female builds the nest, fashioning plant fibers, lichen, and spider webs into a cup the size of half a walnut shell. She tends to the youngsters that hatch from two jelly bean-size eggs, with the elastic spider silk allowing the nest to expand around the growing birds. After raising her first brood, the female will sometimes start a second.
If you want to see hummingbirds in late summer, search out a jewelweed meadow. These wild wetland plants produce a concentrated nectar that fuels up the birds for their southern migration. In the middle of August, they start leaving for winter homes as far away as Panama. The males depart first, followed some weeks later by the females and young birds. Until they return in May, it may be your last chance to see the bird John James Audubon once aptly called a "glittering fragment of the rainbow."
Did You Know?
- One of the most persistent myths about hummingbirds is that they hitchhike on the backs of Canada geese. Not true. In fact, hummingbirds typically migrate earlier and fly farther than geese do, flying over 1,000 miles by their own power.
- It's also false that if you leave your hummingbird feeder up in fall, the birds will fail to migrate. Shortening days, not a shortage of food, tell the birds it's time to head south.
- Hummingbirds' poorly developed sense of smell makes them indifferent to flower scent. Nectar is what they're after, and they've learned that red and orange flowers are usually reliable sources.
- The hummingbird is the only bird that's able to fly backwards.
Blooms for Birds
Hummingbirds aren't hard to please. They're frequent flyers in backyards that offer nectar treats, but they look first for red trumpet-shaped flowers. Plant from this list to attract these buzzing birds:
- Bee balm
- Bleeding heart
- Cardinal flower
- Columbine
- Dropmore honeysuckle
- Hardy fuchsia
- Impatiens
- Morning glory
- Phlox
- Salvia
- Trumpet creeper vine
- Weigela
Val Cunningham, a nature writer and editor, plants masses of Lady in Red salvia each spring to attract ruby-throated hummingbirds.
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