Spring mornings in Southeastern Kansas bring the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds to their summer playgrounds. With the winds of time, on high speed wings, the winter to spring migration of Archilochus colubris returns, delivering these delightful characters for the enjoyment of all to see. While photographing the returning high speed miniatures, which is a feat in itself, a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird seems to take a needed moment to set motionless among the Mulberry leaves. Then, in an instant, she stretches and contorts her figure allowing me another amazing photograph of one of these wondrous creatures. Migration takes these wonderful little birds from deep within Mexico and South America thousands of miles to the United States and back again year after year. There distribution is wide spread throughout many Central and Eastern areas of the continental United States. Males with their brilliant ruby throats and vibrant florescent green feathers leaving first in early January or February, heading northward to be followed by females within two weeks. The Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have been known to travel up to 500 miles in a single flight taking up to 20 hours at a time without rest, until they reach the United States. Once reaching the states the migration slows to around 20 miles per day North and Eastward. Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have a wing beat average of around 3,120 beats per minute and have been clocked at speeds between 30 and 63 miles per hour depending on the instance, making these tiny flyers one of Gods fastest winged creatures on earth. Archilochus live off of spiders and other small insects along with the many blooming inflorescences from wildflowers and gardens along the way, making them another natural and much needed pollinator species for the survival of this planet.
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