By Molly Miller
I saw my first male Rufous Hummingbird on April 25 this year, as he buzzed and clicked his way to the feeder. Acting uncharacteristically shy at first, he took a long drink and flew to a nearby bush. He preened his colorful feathers before whirring in for a second drink and buzzing back off.
By the second week of May, I had regular traffic at four feeders, with three species of hummingbird: Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned. Local hummingbird densities increased, such that by mid-June, my backyard hummingbirds could consume a full quart of nectar in one day!
Of all the hummingbird species in my yard, the bright orange male (and orange-green female) Rufous Hummingbirds are the easiest to watch. They’re bold! They are combative at the feeder, protecting the nectar with raucous buzzing and chatter, tail feathers flaring. In contrast, they also like to perch on or near a feeder for long periods, often in mating pairs, sometimes almost torpid, providing me with ample time to observe them.
I often see a male Rufous fly to the feeder to sip nectar, his shimmering throat accented by a white breast, before returning to his perch, where his throat colors darken to black. The feathers of male hummingbirds are structured to amplify and reflect one special color of light straight ahead of the bird, while the iridescence changes with throat position. Only when a male Rufous looks at you head-on can you fully see its shiny vermilion throat, which is intended to help him attract a mate.
Beyond eye-catching colors, Rufous Hummingbirds are also big flirts! When a male Rufous sees me working in the garden, or even through a window, he may fly very high, then swoop down in a J-shaped dive, whirring and stuttering at me. He repeats this dive over and over, creating a circle of delight. All of our backyard hummingbirds are curious creatures, flying up to closely inspect me without fear. I have no doubt they recognize me as the one who keeps their nectar fresh and available.
Hummingbirds have a memory for spatial cues. They recognize the flowers (and feeders) whose nectar they prefer and return to the same food sources year after year. Over time, flowers favored by hummers have evolved structurally, such that hummingbird tongues are optimized to retrieve their nectar.
Recent field science has shown that a Rufous can locate a flower or a feeder over a vast area, even if it has visited it for only a few seconds! Rufous Hummingbirds also keep track of the quality and content of nectar, visiting blossoms only when both are optimal.
By the first week of August, migration was in swing, and my sightings of Rufous Hummingbirds declined to only a few hardy birds. Males are generally the first of the species to migrate south to Mexico, leaving as early as July. At up to 4,000 miles, they make one of the longest migratory journeys of any bird, as measured by size.
Now, as fall turns to winter, I look forward to the return of my backyard Rufous Hummingbirds next spring, when I will enjoy their colorful bluster once again.
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