Saliva Love

Photography By Mary Lynn Giacomini
Photographed in Illinois


A morning shot of the female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in flight in my... more

by Mary Lynn Giacomini

Title

Saliva Love

Artist

Mary Lynn Giacomini

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Photography By Mary Lynn Giacomini
Photographed in Illinois


A morning shot of the female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in flight in my Illinois garden. The Hummingbird admiring purple salvia plants in my Summer garden.

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, are probably the most common hummingbird in the world Around 300 different species of hummingbirds exist around the Americas in places such as the United States, the Caribbean, Ecuador and Canada. Major noticeable differences occur in male and female hummingbirds, such as appearances, overall size, breeding roles and behaviors. You can easily identify the sex of a hummingbird if you look closely.

Male and female hummingbirds can be identified simply based on the color of their feathers. Male hummingbirds have bright feathers to attract females and to deter males by expressing their dominance. A patch of brightly-colored feathers on the necks of males is known as a gorget. A gorget's color range includes red, purple, orange, blue and pink. When hit with sunlight, the gorget will glisten due to refraction, or the bending of sunlight against the different-sized feathers. Males can make the gorget appear to be black to avoid attracting predators. Unlike males, female hummingbirds have no bright feathers to display. Females are often brown or dull green in color. Immature male hummingbirds typically resemble females in that they have no bright feathers. Although it is hard to tell, female hummingbirds are typically larger than males.

Uploaded

January 29th, 2024