The Ruby Throated Hummingbird
by Deanna S.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris (Linnaeus)	My Poem

My animal is a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They are small but strong fliers. They can also hover and fly backwards. These birds grow to the length of four inches. They have a wingspan of five inches. The average weight of the adult bird is 2/10 ounce.

I like the male hummingbird the best because of their pretty colors. The male has the red color on his neck and on it's body the colors of brown and green shimmer in the light. My animal has two very short legs. They do not stand on them to walk. They use them to perch on branches. The hummingbird eats nectar and insects for it's food.

Their babies eat what their mother feeds them by it's beak. A baby weighs less than 1/2 gram and is only 1/2 inches long when hatched. The mother bird builds the nest and has two eggs. Hummingbirds take care of their young for a short time. The little birds leave the nest three weeks after hatching.

My animal helps people by helping nature. The hummingbird moves from plant to plant and carries the pollen and small bugs on them. They play an important part in plant reproduction.

The classification of the hummingbird is omnivores which means they eat both plants and insects. The only habit they have is eating so they have a good memory of where the good plants are. They will return each year to the same area as long as the food supply continues. The physical adaptations they have is that they can adjust in new places but only stay while weather and food is good.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird ranges across a region of 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. They can fly nonstop. They breed in the Eastern half of North America and fly for the winters to Middle America.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

The hummingbird's habitat consists of woods, orchards, and gardens. They live in the forest in the winter. Their most common predators are the frog and the dragonfly.