There are a reported 300 species of hummingbirds in the Americas of which most are to be found in the tropical areas. They are a fearless sort, often times coming within just inches of you as you sit upon your patio, to capture the nectar we provide them. We sit and watch as they lower their long, bills into our tubular flowers, or our feeders, and are quite in awe of these little fellows who can suspend themselves in mid-air as they feed. They do put on quite a show, indeed. We watch, fascinated, as they dip and swoop, courting the woman in which they wish to find love, flying through the air like an acrobat swaying upon his swing.
Hummingbirds prefer migrating by day as they fly low in the sky.
When spring appears, the females will usually lay two, small, white eggs after she has courted. After mating, however, the male s responsibility is done, and he takes no more action in the raising of the young. Fred, aka, Arch ldochus C lubris, prefers to be called the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and lives east of the Great Plains of the United States. You can tell Fred from his mate, Ethel, simply for the fact that he sports a bright red throat, while his mate simply bears no color on her throat. You can tell the hummingbird is Fred by his high, squeaky chirping as he flies toward Ethel with his wings humming rapidly, which sounds melodious to say the least, to attract her.