Pollinator Profile: Ruby-throated hummingbird
While everyone knows hummingbirds drink nectar, their role as pollinators is often overlooked. Found only in the western hemisphere, hummingbird beaks are adapted to dip into their preferred flowers when feeding, leaving a scattering of pollen along their feathers that is transferred to the next blossom. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird in Florida, named for the striking red color of the male’s throat. Like many other hummingbirds, these feathers are iridescent, meaning their color changes depending on how the light hits them. From a different angle the shining red patch may appear black. Both males and females have a whiteish-grey underside and metallic green across their heads and back, with the male having a more obvious forked tail. They are about three inches long with a wingspan of about four inches and weigh just 0.1 to 0.2 ounces.
Every year these tiny birds migrate thousands of miles from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America to the eastern and central United States and into parts of southern Canada. To sustain the enormous amount of energy required for this feat they feed on small spiders and insects for protein and fat as well as consume large quantities of nectar, pollinating plants along the way. Some Florida-friendly hummingbird favorites include coral honeysuckle, red buckeye, coralbean, firebush and trumpet creeper. Plant them in your yards and communities to help hummingbirds.