June 25, 1999

     Female Hummingbird Handles Nesting Duties

During courtship, the female ruby-throated hummingbird sits quietly on a perch while the male does a pendulum dance.  He flies in a wide arc and buzzes loudly with each dip, but the female shows no preference for a particular mate until just before laying her eggs.  Observers agree that the male takes no part in nesting activities and is even suspected of polygamy.  Occasionally a male might be seen near the nest, but after mating he apparently becomes a free wanderer.  He spends his time perched on a twig, resting and preening, while his mate chooses a nesting site, builds the nest and raise the brood.

A variety of trees are used for nest sites, and the nests are generally built from 10 to 20 feet above the ground.  When the female ruby-throat is building a nest, she chooses a limb or a twig, often sheltered by overshadowing leaves, and collects silky or downy fibers that are then held together with spider silk.

The nest, two inches or less in diameter, is covered with bits of lichens.  The two eggs, laid one day apart, are about the size of large peas.  The female incubates the eggs, which hatch in about 14 days, and after birth the young remain in the nest for about 20 days.