Ruby-throated hummingbird

The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a very small trochilid, 7–9 cm long with an 8–11 cm wingspan and a weight of 2–6 g. Metallic green above and greyish-white below, males bear an iridescent ruby-red throat patch; wingbeats in hover reach about 80 per second. It breeds across eastern North America, the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird, and winters from Florida to western Panama, many crossing about 800 km of the Gulf of Mexico in some 20 hours. Nectar, insects and spiders are taken. The IUCN lists it Least Concern.