Takshanuk Watershed Council

Category: Bird

Family (birds only): Hummingbirds and Kingfishers

Species: Selasphorus rufus

Habitat: Rainforest

Seasonality (birds only): Migrant

Basic Information Links:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous_hummingbird/id

Rufous hummingbirds winter in Mexico.  First  2011 arrival March 26.  Range of arrival dates 1999-2010: March 31 to May 1.  They nest here and often the juvenile birds start flying at the end of July or beginning of August.  That is when the hummers head south.

What do they eat?  When the hummingbirds first get here, there is often still snow on the ground.  Hummingbirds are not limited to red tubular flowers for their diet, even though they are often seen on these flowers.  They also sip nectar from other flowers, including the early blooming pussywillows.  The pussywillow is the flower of the willow plant.  Hummingbirds also eat insects.  

How do such little birds fly to Haines all the way from Mexico?   There is a delightful common myth that they hitch a ride on the backs of Canada Geese.  They don't really.  But they do watch the weather.  The rotation of the earth causes winds to blow in spiral shape from high pressure areas to low pressure areas.  The hummingbirds wait until the spring wind is blowing north.  They take off and hitch a ride as far as the wind will assist them. Then they will come to the ground and forage until another wind comes along.  Over eons they have developed the timing to do this in coordination with flowers blooming.