There are several species of hummingbirds that have some red coloring on the top of their heads. The most common hummingbirds in North America with this feature belong to the genus Archilochus. The two main species are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird. Outside of North America, other hummingbirds with red crowns include the Red-crowned Woodnymph, the Green-crowned Brilliant, and Vervain Hummingbird.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the most common and widespread hummingbird species found east of the Mississippi River in North America. The adult male Ruby-throat has a brilliant metallic red throat patch (called a gorget) and a small red crest on its head. This is where the bird gets its name. The red crown is very apparent when the crest is erected, but it can be difficult to see when the crest is flattened against the head.
Females lack the red throat patch and have white on the tips of their outer tail feathers. Immature Ruby-throats resemble the adult female. Both sexes of Ruby-throats are green on the back and white below. They have medium-length thin bills that are perfect for drinking nectar from long tubular flowers.
Range and Habitat
Ruby-throats breed across most of eastern North America and then migrate to southern U.S states, Mexico, Central America, and some Caribbean islands for the winter. Their breeding habitat includes open areas with flowering plants such as meadows, yards, parks, and forest edges. During migration and winter, they are also found in scrub, citrus groves, and other open wooded areas.
Feeding Behavior
Like all hummingbirds, Ruby-throats eat mostly sugary nectar from flowers and flower-visiting insects and spiders. Their favorites are tube-shaped flowers with no scent. Some examples are trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, bee balm, and columbine. Ruby-throats also catch insects in flight or steal them from spiderwebs. They prefer small insects like flies, gnats, and aphids. A few favorite perches where they watch for insects are the tips of branches or wires.
The Ruby-throat’s rapid wing beats allow it to hover in place while extracting nectar from flowers with its long tongue or catching tiny insects. It has among the fastest wing beats of any bird, 80 beats per second, which makes the familiar humming sound.
Breeding and Nesting
Male Ruby-throats arrive at breeding areas in spring before females to establish breeding territories. They court females with elaborate aerial displays while making squeaky sounds with their tail-feathers. After mating, the female builds a tiny cup-shaped nest out of plant down, spider silk, and lichen bound with spiderwebs. It is well-camouflaged, only about 1.5 inches across, and typically placed high in a tree at the end of a downward-hanging branch.
The female lays two pea-sized white eggs and incubates them for about two weeks. The chicks are born helpless, naked, and blind. They are fed regurgitated nectar and insects by the female and leave the nest in about 3 weeks, after which they must fend for themselves. Ruby-throats typically raise two broods per breeding season.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
The Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is another common western hummingbird species with red feathers on its head. The adult male has a black chin, throat and cheeks, with a vivid iridescent purple patch below that. It has a dark forked tail and a small red crown atop its head.
Females and immature Black-chins have pale gray undersides, green backs, and white tips on their outer tail feathers like Ruby-throats. They lack the red crown and any dark throat pattern. Their most obvious feature is the relatively long bills.
Range and Habitat
Black-chinned Hummingbirds breed across western North America from British Columbia to northern Mexico. Their breeding habitat includes open wooded areas, valley foothill hardwood and riparian woodlands, mountain meadows, and scrubby vegetation.
During winter, they migrate to Mexico and the southern U.S. including Texas, Arizona and southern California. Their winter habitat includes desert oases, mountain streamsides, and flowering gardens and groves.
Feeding Behavior
Like Ruby-throats, Black-chinned Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar and tiny insects. They use their slender bills to retrieve nectar from long tubular flowers. A few of their favorites are penstemons, paintbrushes, and sages. They also readily visit backyard hummingbird feeders for artificial nectar.
Black-chins situate themselves in feeding territories where they can find plentiful flowers and perches. They aggressively chase other hummingbirds that enter their space. They use a variety of vocalizations and displays to communicate, especially during courtship.
Breeding and Nesting
In spring, male Black-chins return to breeding areas before females. They court females through elaborate aerial displays, including flying in loops and arcs while rapidly chirping. After mating, the female builds a compact cup-shaped nest high in a protected tree limb using soft plant down held together by spiderwebs.
The eggs hatch after about 14 days of incubation by the female. The chicks fledge in 21-26 days on a diet of regurgitated nectar and insects from the female. Black-chinned Hummingbirds raise 2-3 broods per season.
Red-crowned Woodnymph
The Red-crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica) is a species found in South America that also has red feathers on its head. Adult males and females both have medium-long dark bills, emerald green backs, and gray-white undersides. As their name suggests, they have bright red crowns. Males also have strongly forked blue-black tails. Immature birds look similar but have less vibrant plumage.
Range and Habitat
Red-crowned Woodnymphs are found across northern and central South America in southeastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, the Guianas, southward through most of Brazil, Paraguay and north-central Argentina. Their natural habitats include tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, mangroves, and wooded savannahs. They tend to occupy the mid-story and canopy layers.
Feeding Behavior
Like other hummingbirds, Red-crowned Woodnymphs feed mainly on nectar taken from colorful tubular flowers using their long slender beaks. Examples of favored flowers include heliconias, epeniphyllum and other epiphytes, and flowering trees like the angel’s trumpet. They use their specialized tongues to lap up the nectar while hovering in front of flowers.
Red-crowned Woodnymphs also capture small arthropods like insects and spiders to meet their nutritional needs. They glean insects from foliage using their precise, pointed bills and snatch insects out of the air during sustained flights.
Breeding and Nesting
Red-crowned Woodnymphs breed in the wet season between May and August. Males perform elaborate courtship displays, flying in wide arcs above the canopy. After mating, the female builds a neat cup nest out of soft plant fibers in a protected spot in a tree from 3 to 30 feet up.
She lays 2 tiny white eggs and incubates them alone for 15-19 days. The chicks are fed regurgitated food by the female and leave the nest at 22-26 days old. Red-crowned Woodnymphs are solitary nesters and highly territorial around their nests.
Green-crowned Brilliant
The Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) is a South American hummingbird species with a brilliant red crown and throat. Adult males have metallic golden-green bodies, a sparkling emerald-green crown, white breast, and crimson-red throat. Females have a golden-green back, whitish underside, and lack the red throat. Both sexes have long curved black bills.
Range and Habitat
Green-crowned Brilliant are found across northern South America in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. Their natural habitat is tropical and subtropical montane forest and heavily vegetated mountain slopes. They are common hummingbirds of the high Andes, up to elevations of 10,000 feet.
Feeding Behavior
Green-crowned Brillants drink nectar from large tropical flowers along the edges of mountain forests. Favorite nectar sources include passionflowers and angel’s trumpets. Their curved bills are specially adapted for accessing nectar in long tubular corollas. They use the tip of their bill to pierce the base of the flower to steal nectar, rather than entering through the mouth of the flower.
These agile hummingbirds also forage for insects, often hawking insects from exposed perches and sallying out to catch them in flight. Small flies, bees, ants, beetles, and spiders all provide essential protein in their diet.
Breeding and Nesting
During courtship displays, males fly in arcs and dive through the forest, producing loud wing trills. After breeding, females build a cup nest saddled on top of a horizontal branch, decorating the exterior with moss and lichens.
She lays two pea-sized eggs and incubates them alone for 15-19 days. The female cares for the chicks until they fledge at about 21-26 days old. Green-crowned Brillants are aggressive in defending their small breeding territories.
Vervain Hummingbird
The Vervain Hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) is the smallest hummingbird species in the world and has a red crown. Native to Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, adult males are only around 2 inches long and have metallic green bodies, dark forked tails, and vivid crimson crowns. Females lack the crown and have white-tipped outer tail feathers.
Range and Habitat
Vervains are found only on the islands of Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Their habitats include forest edges, plantations, gardens and anywhere there are abundant small flowers from which to feed. They are comfortable around humans and can thrive in urban parks and gardens.
Feeding Behavior
Vervains sip nectar from the flowers of shrubs, small trees and epiphytes in their tropical island habitats. With their tiny size, they can access nectar from flowers unavailable to larger hummingbird species. Vervains also catch small insects like fruit flies and gnats in midair or pick them from crevices in vegetation. They require frequent feeding due to their extremely high metabolic rate and miniscule body size.
Breeding and Nesting
In the breeding season, male Vervain Hummingbirds perform courtship displays where they fly back and forth in front of females, hovering in front of their perches. After mating, the female builds a tiny cup nest out of plant down, feathers and spider webs on a low branch or vine.
She lays 2 pea-sized white eggs. After a 12-14 day incubation, the helpless chicks hatch, and are fed by the female for 18-23 days until fledging. Vervains face threats from habitat loss and climate change on their small Caribbean island homes.
Identifying a Hummingbird by its Crown
Many hummingbirds have some type of specialized feathering on their heads, including crests, tufts, and crown patches. Here are some tips for identifying a hummingbird species by characteristics of the crown:
- Look at the color – Is it red, orange, blue, green, white, etc? This narrows down the possibilities.
- Note the shape – Is the crown rounded, pointed, forked or flattened?
- Check for streaking or spot patterns in the crown.
- Observe how far down on the head or nape the crown feathers extend.
- Determine if the crown is always visible or sometimes lays flat.
- Consider the bird’s range – Is it found in your geographic area?
- Pay attention to other features such as throat color, tail shape, bill length, and body markings to confirm the identification.
Using field guides or online hummingbird identification resources can help match the crown traits you observe to species. With practice, the combination of crown style, plumage, range, behavior and habitat can identify a hummingbird.
Role of Crown Coloration
In most hummingbird species, elaborate crests and crowns play an important role in mate attraction and breeding displays. Their function is similar to a peacock’s tail or a lion’s mane – to attract potential mates.
During courtship, males frequently erect their crown feathers to flash their bright colors at nearby females. The vibrant feathers also signal health, strength, and good genes to females choosing a mate. This style of sexual selection has led to the evolution of extravagant plumes and decorations among male hummingbirds.
The crown patch is thought to be an indicator of reproductive fitness. Old or weak males tend to have duller, less pronounced crown feathers. Females pay attention to this and select males with the brightest crowns as this suggests they will pass on the best genes to offspring.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds with red feathers on the crown include many species, but in particular the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Red-crowned Woodnymph, Vervain Hummingbird, and some Green-crowned Brilliant individuals. Carefully observing the color, shape, size and pattern of the crown can help identify the species.
Crowns and crests play an important role in courtship displays and mating in hummingbirds. Their vibrant colors attract females and indicate the male’s health and fitness. Hummingbirds are such fascinating creatures, it’s always a joy to observe one flashing its colorful crown.
