Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

Wednesday evening I got a rare chance to sit with my sister Wendy on the front deck of her house and visit with her before I had to drive back to Springfield and head to work. During our chat we were able to enjoy watching the hummingbirds swarm the two feeders that were hanging nearby.

These particular birds belong to the species Archilochus colubris, or Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and are one of the most common types of hummingbirds found in this area. Due to Mother Nature's bizarre sense of twisted humor, it is the male bird that gets to sport the very pretty, very colorful "ruby throat". The females have no red on them at all, but they get their revenge by having longer bills and being bigger in size.
Here are a couple of shots of the males that were hanging around.





Both male and female have the gorgeous emerald green backs which were really lighting up when my flash was hitting them. You can easily see what I'm referring to in this picture.



Even though there were at least a dozen or so birds in the area randomly fighting over only 8 feeding holes, this delicate little female got a chance to sit and relax for a minute.