The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, is one of the most loved of all the wild birds. Everyone loves to see the iridescent flash of a hummingbird. Was it a very bright green with a touch of red flash? If so you most likely spotted a
male ruby throat. They zing here and there looking for nectar, or patrolling who is about to find his own private stock. This is a perfect shot of the male hummingbird common to this part of the U.S. The female is smaller, and is a dull green, with gray under the throat. One may tend to feel bad that she is so drab, and so easily intimidated by her partner! However, her coloration assures that more females will live to produce eggs and hatch them, than if she were the noticeable bright color of the male. Even in tiny animals such as this, nature has provided a type of security that will enable the species to stay alive.
