Rufous Hummingbird

Male Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbirds are native to the west coast of North America, where they migrate between their northern breeding grounds and their winter homes down in Mexico. They are quite small, measuring only about 3in (8cm). Males are rufous colored all over, with the exception of a white patch on the throat. Females and juveniles have a greenish tint on their backs. Their diet consists of nectar, sometimes supplemented by insects.

Did you know that Rufous Hummingbirds have the longest migration route of any North American hummingbird? On top of that, if you measure migration in regards to body size, they have one of the longest in the world! Its migration from Alaska to Mexico is over 78,000,000 body lengths. In comparison, the Arctic Tern, whose migration is about three times longer, moves only about 51,000,000 body lengths.

Rufous Hummingbirds also have the distinction of being quite feisty. They are very territorial birds, and will fight for feeding and nesting spots just about anywhere they go, even against much larger Hummingbirds. It helps that they are particularly quick and agile, even for a Hummingbird. They beat their wings 52-62 times per second. During the breeding season, males will perform oval or J-shaped aerial dives in order to impress females.

Rufous Hummingbirds also have excellent memories, and have been know to return to feeder spots year to year, even if the feeder is no longer there.

Magnificent Hummingbird

The Magnificent Hummingbird, once known as Rivoli's Hummingbird,  is native to Central America and the south western United States and is one of the largest hummingbirds with a whopping 14cm body length and an 18 cm wingspan! (OK, I guess that's not really whopping, but it's pretty largest compared to the Bee Hummingbird which is only 5cm long!) There are two subspecies, Eugenes fulgens fulgens in the northern part of the range, and E. f. spectabilis in the south, primarily in Costa Rice and Panama. They are the only members of the genus Eugenes.

Image from Ownbyphotography.com

These lovely birds are identified by their green, purples and gray colors. The sexes appear differently, with the males having dark green backs, black undersides, purple crowns and shiny metallic green necks. The females are a bit less flashy, with a more olive colored green on their backs and grey undersides. They are typical of hummingbirds in many ways, but their size gives them a few differences. For one, they fly more slowly, and sometimes even glide. Also, though it consumes nectar like other species of hummingbird, the Magnificent Hummingbird also frequently dines on insects.

What I find interesting about these birds is that so little is known about them. They are not an endangered or threatened species, yet information about much of their behavior is not yet known. What we do know is that they reside in a variety of completely different habitats, lay two eggs at the time and that larger birds and snakes are their major predators.