Flashes Of Red

Quick! Prep your feeders and fill your garden with tubular flowers for a chance to see ruby-throated hummingbirds, one of the most popular fliers in the east.

- Kirsten Sweet

Several hummingbird species are sprinkled over the western half of North America, but only one, the ruby-throat, flies the eastern skies regularly. As the region’s tiniest bird, ruby-throated hummingbirds generate a lot of buzz and excitement when they choose your backyard.

Males steal the show with green bodies and ruby red throats that glisten like jewels in the sunlight. Females aren’t as grandiose in appearance. They sport green backs, white underparts and black masks near their eyes. All juveniles look so similar to females that it’s often nearly impossible to tell which it is. Whether a male, female or youngster chooses your yard, their acrobatic, territorial and erratic antics always entertain.