Hummingbirds have some of the most elaborate and visually stunning mating rituals in the animal kingdom. During mating season, male hummingbirds will go to great lengths to court females and impress them with their flying abilities, bright plumage, and elaborate courtship displays. The mating rituals involve complex aerial maneuvers, dancing, singing, and offering food gifts to potential mates. Understanding hummingbird mating behavior provides fascinating insight into the lives of these tiny, flying jewels of nature.
When does hummingbird mating season occur?
Hummingbird mating seasons vary depending on the species and their geographic location, but generally coincide with the flowering seasons when nectar availability is highest.
- In North America, ruby-throated hummingbirds mate between March and July.
- Rufous hummingbirds mate between April and July in the Pacific Northwest.
- Anna’s hummingbirds can mate nearly year-round in warmer climates like California and Arizona.
- Costa’s hummingbirds mate between November and April in the southwestern deserts.
- Tropical species like the green-breasted mango have extended mating periods from November to June.
The availability of flower nectar plays a crucial role in hummingbird reproduction. Abundant nectar allows the high-metabolism birds to acquire enough energy to court, mate, nest, lay eggs, incubate, and raise chicks.
Courtship Displays
Male hummingbirds try to impress females with elaborate courtship displays designed to showcase their strength, health, and flying skills. Some courtship rituals include:
- Aerial Maneuvers: Males fly in loops, arcs, and dive-bombs at high speeds to demonstrate their aerobatic skills.
- Plumage Displays: Males will puff up their brightly colored feathers into a disc shape around their head and neck to accentuate their colors.
- Singing: Males sing complex songs and make buzzing, chipping sounds with their tails to attract female attention.
- Dancing: Males bob and weave in an aerial dance to show off their stamina and fitness.
These displays communicate to watching females that the male is physically fit and has the energy reserves required to be a good mate. Females observing and judging the males will select the most attractive suitor.
The Mating Chase
If a female is impressed with a male’s courtship display, she will signal her interest by flying in a looping, circular pattern with the male in pursuit. This initiates an acrobatic aerial chase called a “mating chase.”
During the chase, the male and female fly quickly in vertical U-shaped or figure-eight loops above a breeding territory. The mating chase may last several minutes as the male tries to keep up with the agile female. The chase displays the male’s maximum flying ability and stamina.
Eventually, the female will slow down and perch, allowing the male to approach and begin copulation if he has proven his flying skills. Sometimes, however, the female may not be satisfied with the male’s performance and fly off, forcing him to continue his courtship efforts.
Copulation
Actual mating is very brief, lasting only a few seconds. Like most birds, hummingbirds have no external genitalia, so male hummingbirds must position their cloaca opening against the female’s cloaca to transfer sperm in what is known as a “cloacal kiss.”
They perch together on a branch with their tails intertwined and their wings outstretched to maintain balance. The male flares his colorful throat feathers during mating to attract the female’s attention to his fit condition.
After copulation, the male and female go their separate ways. The male plays no role in nest building, incubating eggs, or raising young. He may seek other mating opportunities, often mating with several females in one season. The female must assume all parental care duties.
Unique Mating Adaptations
Hummingbirds have evolved several unusual adaptations related to mating:
- Reversed Sexual Size Dimorphism: Females are larger than males, allowing them to lay more eggs. Males are tiny to enable aerial agility.
- Bright, Iridescent Plumage: Males have vibrant, light-refracting colors that serve as visual courtship signals to females.
- Specialized Tail Feathers: Males of many species have forked or streamer-like tails that produce sounds to attract females.
- Courtship Diving: Males dive at high speeds towards the ground before pulling up to demonstrate vigor to watching females.
These special adaptations help maximize hummingbird reproductive success and continuation of the species. The fittest, most agile males get to pass on their genetic traits to the next generation.
Behaviors After Mating
Once mating is complete, the male and female hummingbirds go their separate ways to focus on their individual reproductive duties.
Male Behavior Post-Mating
After copulating with a female, the male hummingbird’s role in reproduction is complete. He does not participate in building a nest, incubating eggs, or raising hatchlings. The male may:
- Seek other mating opportunities with different females.
- Continue defending a breeding territory and patrolling for intruding males.
- Return to usual routines of nectar feeding and displaying at favorite flowers.
- Start molting out of breeding plumage into less colorful non-breeding feathers.
The male’s sole reproductive duty is passing his genes to the next generation, so he wastes no time seeking additional mates. Males may mate with several different female hummingbirds in one season.
Female Behavior Post-Mating
After mating, the female is solely responsible for all parental duties:
- Nest Building: Construct a small cup nest out of soft plant down, spider webs, and lichens.
- Egg Laying: Lay 1-3 tiny white eggs in the nest approximately 2-3 days after mating.
- Incubating: Incubate the eggs for 14-23 days.
- Feeding Hatchlings: Feed the chicks regurgitated nectar and insects for 18-25 days until fledged.
The female hummingbird has the huge burden of raising the next generation alone, from nest construction through fledging. It’s a race against time to breed, lay eggs, and rear hatchlings while flower nectar is still abundant.
Defense of Breeding Territories
Male hummingbirds aggressively defend breeding territories from intrusions by other males. Prime nesting habitat with sufficient flowers, nectar, insects, and nest materials are limited and valuable.
Males will chase away or dive-bomb other males who invade their mating territory in search of females. They perform aerial displays, vocalizations, and even physical attacks if needed to drive away competitors.
Physical altercations are rare, but male hummingbirds will grapple with legs interlocked, pecking and biting each other on the head and neck until one retreats. The goal is to keep other males away from potential mates.
Females may also be chased by a territorial male but rarely attacked. Displays and vocalizations are usually enough to drive her away.
Key Takeaways on Hummingbird Mating
- Mating seasons correspond with peak flower nectar availability.
- Males perform elaborate courtship displays like aerial maneuvers, dancing, and singing.
- Females initiate chase mating flights to test male stamina.
- Actual copulation is very brief.
- Males provide no parental care and seek other mates; females nurture the nest alone.
- Males defend breeding territories from other encroaching males.
The incredible mating behaviors of hummingbirds exemplify the lengths some animals will go to find the best mate and pass on their genes. Their mating rituals have evolved specifically to improve reproductive success and fitness. Watching hummingbirds dazzle females with their flying skill and dexterity is one of the most memorable sights of spring.
Conclusion
Hummingbird courtship displays and mating rituals are truly extraordinary in the natural world. The males’ flashy plumage, competitive aerial maneuvers, complex singing and diving behaviors have all developed for one purpose: to win the best possible mate.
Females carefully observe males and select the optimal partner that has demonstrated his genetic fitness. This ensures only the fastest, strongest, and healthiest males will get to reproduce.
The brief but energetic mating chase also filters out inferior males who run out of steam. A female will only settle with a male who can keep up with her in a grueling test of his limits.
By favoring the top males, hummingbirds engage in a selective breeding process that maintains these tiny birds as masterful flyers with the incredible stamina to annually migrate vast distances.
So while the flashy courtship dances, songs, and colors may seem purely for show, they serve essential evolutionary purposes. The rituals enable hummingbirds to choose mates that will improve the survival odds and success of future generations. Watching these dramas unfold in nature provides a glimpse into the intriguing reproductive strategies and behaviors that hummingbirds rely on to continue their captivating legacy.
