The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is one of the most widespread and familiar hummingbird species in North America. During the summer breeding season, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are found across much of eastern North America, ranging as far north as central Canada and as far west as the Great Plains. By understanding the habitat needs and range limits of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, we can better appreciate the adaptation of this tiny bird to its environment.
Summer Range
The summer breeding range of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird extends across the eastern United States and Canada, from southern Ontario and Quebec south to the Gulf Coast, and west to eastern Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Within this broad geographic range, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds occupy a diversity of forest and woodland habitats, as well as parks and gardens, during the nesting season.
Some key details about the summer range include:
- In Canada, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed primarily in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, reaching north to around the latitude of James Bay and southern Manitoba.
- In the United States, they are found across the East Coast from Maine south throughout the Atlantic states and along the Gulf Coast. Their range extends west to the eastern edges of the Great Plains in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
- They are widespread summer residents in states such as Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
- The Ruby-throated Hummingbird occupies more limited summer ranges in peripheral regions such as southern Ontario, southern Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and eastern New Mexico.
- In the westernmost regions of its breeding range, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are restricted to riparian woodlands and other wooded habitats rather than occupying broader areas.
Overall the core summer range covers the eastern deciduous forest region, extending north into the boreal forest or south into tropical/subtropical forests and west to the edge of the Great Plains grasslands. The abundance of flowering plants and availability of nest sites within these wooded eastern environments is key to supporting thriving Ruby-throated Hummingbird populations in summer.
Preferred Summer Habitats
Within its broad summer range, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds show some habitat preferences but occupy a diverse array of wooded areas, forest edges, parks and gardens:
- Flower gardens – Ruby-throated Hummingbirds readily occupy gardens and parks in urban, suburban and rural settings where nectar flowers abound.
- Forest edges – Edges between forests and meadows or clearings provide ideal habitat, offering a combination of nesting sites, insect prey and nectar sources.
- Open deciduous and mixed forests – Mature upland forests with a partly open understory and gaps that allow light to filter through are widely used by breeding hummingbirds.
- River bottoms – Lowland floodplain forests along streams and rivers offer plentiful nectar, nesting structure and insects.
- Swamps – Swampy woodlands and cypress groves in the southeastern coastal plain and Gulf coastal regions provide habitat.
- Pine savannas – Open pine forests with a grassy or semi-wooded understory are used in the southeastern coastal plain.
- Mountain meadows – High elevation mountain meadows with scattered trees and shrubs are occupied by some breeding hummingbirds.
Access to flowers for nectar, suitable nesting structures including downed branches and lichens, and habitat for catching insect prey allows Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to flourish in these diverse forest and woodland environments across eastern North America.
What Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Need in Summer Habitat
The habitat needs of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the breeding season center around three key resources:
Nectar Sources
Abundant flowers from which to drink nectar are essential to meet the high energy demands of these tiny birds. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have specialized adaptations for feeding on nectar including a slender curving bill and a tongue that can extend to lap up nectar. Preferred nectar sources include:
- Native wildflowers such as bee balm, cardinal flower, columbine, trumpet creeper, coral honeysuckle, jewelweed and fire pink.
- Native trees and shrubs including mimosa, buckeye, rose mallow and weigela.
- Cultivated flowers and gardens full of nectar-rich plantings of fuchsia, petunia, salvia, nasturtium, bee balm, zinnia, butterfly bush and trumpet vine.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds seek out flower clusters, tubular blossoms, brightly colored flowers, and prefer red-colored blooms when selecting nectar sources. A continuous bloom of nectar flowers from spring through summer is crucial.
Insect Prey
While hummingbirds get most of their energy from nectar, they also require insects and spiders to get key proteins. Some primary insect prey includes:
- Midges
- Mosquitoes
- Flies
- Beetles
- Aphids
- Ants
- Bees
- Wasps
- Spider silk
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds hawk flying insects in mid-air and glean crawling and suspended spiders and insects from vegetation. A habitat with a diversity of insects and spiders is ideal.
Nesting Materials and Sites
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds build tiny, cup-shaped nests to cradle their eggs and raise young. To build nests, they need:
- Spider silk and plant down – Used to bind nest materials together and create a soft interior lining.
- Lichens and moss – Used to camouflage the outside of the nest on a supporting branch.
- Twigs, bark, buds – Used to construct the sturdy outer walls of the nest.
- Protected site – Nests are built on horizontal branches away from trunks, beneath overhanging branches or leaves.
Ideal nesting habitat has a variety of small to mid-size trees and shrubs with lichen-covered branches in a partly shaded area. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds sometimes nest multiple times raising successive broods in a single summer.
Current Threats to Summer Habitat
Although still widespread, threats to Ruby-throated Hummingbird summer habitat include:
- Forest fragmentation from human development – reduces nesting sites and nectar flowers.
- Agricultural practices – conversion of forests and meadows to cropland eliminates habitat.
- Invasive pest insects – can kill native nectar plant species.
- Climate change – may alter blooming cycles and nectar availability.
- Use of pesticides – can reduce insect prey populations.
- Invasive plants – may outcompete native nectar sources.
Targeted habitat conservation and restoration focused on providing key nesting, insect and nectar resources within remaining habitat patches can help secure the summer breeding grounds needed by Ruby-throated Hummingbirds across their range. Promoting backyard and park habitats with native flowers, limiting pesticide use, and preserving natural forests and meadows will support these iconic hummingbirds into the future.
Key Locations to See Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in Summer
Some top locations to observe Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in their summer breeding habitats include:
- Highlands Biological Station, Highlands, NC – research station in southern Appalachian Mountains forest.
- Sapsucker Woods, Ithaca, NY – Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology grounds with hundreds of nectar feeders.
- Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO – renowned gardens full of hummingbird-friendly native plants.
- Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, CO – riparian woodlands on western edge of range.
- Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Cedar Rapids, IA – protected floodplain forest habitat along Cedar River.
- South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson, SC – pocket gardens showcase southern natives to attract hummingbirds.
- Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington, DC – exhibits and gardens highlight mid-Atlantic hummingbird species.
Across much of the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can be readily observed visiting flowers and nectar feeders in urban parks and backyard gardens during summer. Seeking out areas that provide ideal nesting habitat and native nectar sources offers the best chance to observe their natural behaviors.
Conclusion
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a summer fixture across a broad swathe of eastern North America. By meeting its habitat needs for plentiful nectar, insects to eat and protected nest sites, we can support healthy populations of these tiny aerialists. Sightings of energetic Ruby-throated Hummingbirds buzzing from flower to flower, with their shimmering red throats flashed, are a sure sign that summer has arrived. Conserving natural woodlands and promoting pollinator-friendly flowers in our managed landscapes will ensure the spectacular hovering, darting flight of hummingbirds graces our summers for years to come.
