ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË

Bird Sounds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Calls

Catherine Boeckmann
No content available.

Listen to the sounds of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. What may sound like a bee buzzing by is actually the hum of a tiny bird beating its wings about 53 times a second!

(Bird sound compliments of The Macaulay Library at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)

The Ruby-throated hummingbird migrates every spring the North America, traveling amazing distances from their winter homes in Central America and Mexico. They may travel as far north as eastern Canada. Wondering when the hummingbirds will arrive in your area? See this cool .

Read Next

These jewel-colored birds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers (though it’s not necessary to color the sugar water you put in a hummingbird feeder). See how to attract the ruby-throated hummingbird.

Have you heard a Ruby-throated Hummingbird? Add your comments below. Be sure to let us know where you live or where you’ve heard this bird sound before!

Click here to listen to the sounds of other birds!

Bird Sounds
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË found each other. She leads digital content for the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

No content available.
More Like This

Comments

Lucinda Fisher (not verified)

1 year 5 months ago

I heard the squeek of a hummingbird, and turned slowly to look...as I did I heard it's wing buzz and it flew up from somewhere behind me, hovering to my right briefly. In PA.

Lucinda- We love a good hummingbird sighting! Many of us plant certain flowers to encourage hummingbird visits throughout the summer.

dwest (not verified)

1 year 5 months ago

We live in the middle sorta western part of New Hampshire and have been feeding the hummies for many years. This season began 06MAY23 with the first male arriving. I will put out one feeder, and as more hummingbirds arrive I add another feeder. At the peak of their frenetic lifestyle (which is right now 18JUN23) I have three feeders, spaced far enough apart so no single hummer can dominate them all.

There's no such thing as altruism to a hummingbird. Wow, are they mean to each other! But beautiful.

A couple years ago the fighting was so fierce one of the hummers shmacked into a window pretty hard. Down he went, and laid there on the deck, just vibrating.. the image of a little bell came to mind, he rung his own bell.

Anyway, we keep an emergency hummer kit, which is nothing more than an eyedropper. I didn't bring the bird inside, I brought some fresh hummie-juice and just touched the dropper to the side of his beak or bill, his mouth. And I held it there for a minute or so. Then the bird woke up a little, started looking around, flapped its wings, guzzled a few more drops of hummie-juice, then took off like a shot of lightning.

I am in awe of hummingbirds!

Wendy Dakin (not verified)

1 year 8 months ago

I had great luck attracting hummingbirds with Cuphea - also known as Hummingbird's lunch, or Cigar plant.

Nancy (not verified)

2 years 4 months ago

Last year I had 3 hummingbirds that came around to my feeder
Jerk Bird- Only one to perch and drink at his leisure because he chased everything else away
Paranoid Bird- Would always hover with his back to the wall and looked around between sips
Sneaky Bird- Would only come to the feeder while Jerk Bird was chasing Paranoid Bird away
During the chase, the super fast beating of their wings sound like a light saber duel

Yes, I tried putting multiple feeders out of sight from one another, but Jerk Bird would always perch on a high branch or power line so he could watch over all 3

Sharon Baber (not verified)

2 years 6 months ago

I have been so excited to see the hummingbirds return! This is our second year of having feeders (3) for them. We have an unusual problem with the feeders though, they also attract bears! They have come "visiting" during the night, and have torn my hummer feeders and suet feeders all to pieces. I was able to patch together one, but it didn't have a hanger, so I set it on the ground among my crepe myrtle multi-stem tree - and they found it! Another spare feeder was purple, but with a red ribbon bow, they like that one too! When I am working on these projects, I could hear them zizzing back and forth above my head, curiously trying to see what I am doing. What fun they are! Oh, we decided to bring the feeders in at night, and put them out early in the morning! So far so good!

Denise T (not verified)

3 years 3 months ago

Olga in NJ, there is only one type of hummer on the east coast. What you're seeing is a male and female Ruby Throat. The female doesn't have the red throat.

I was hanging a feeder one day and heard a buzzing in my ear. Thinking it was a bee I jumped back just in time to see hummer make a "beeline" to the feeder I had just hung up. He was evidently letting me know that I was taking entirely too much time hanging up his lunch.

Linda Potter (not verified)

3 years 5 months ago

I read the post and editorial comment regarding hummingbirds in north eastern Oklahoma and considered it appropriate for us, as well.
I’m watching the Cardinals and the Hummingbirds this morning. I’m easily entertained.
I’m still learning and I don’t know how to tell the difference between male and female hummingbirds. I will certainly continue watching and learning.

Olga Held (not verified)

3 years 6 months ago

I live in central New Jersey. First time I've heard this churping sound from hummingbird I was so surprised ! I grow several varieties of huneysuckle vines , most of them with red and orange flowers and two different hummers visit the vines : ruby throat hummers and the other ones that I am not sure of what they called. So if I sit quetly on my deck 5- 6 feet away from the vine -- I can hear hummingbird making that churp-churp sound ! I think it is the one without the red spot in the throat that makes this call, but I am not too sure.

Sharon (not verified)

4 years 2 months ago

I live in New Smyrna Beach FL and we have them year round here but more during the winter months. We just love watching them.