Athena Rayne Anderson

This post is part of an article I submitted for publication with a Georgia magazine called “Coastscapes” in 2010-2012. I’ve been unable to find this magazine online, but want to share the content for your educational enjoyment. The magazine was geared towards the general public, so there are no references to research articles. Feel free to contact me if you’d like help finding references for any of the content! All images that are not my own are used with permission.

These tiny birds are really amazing! Beating their wings as fast as they do, (12-90 times per second) burns a huge amount of energy. To fuel this lifestyle, hummers drink the most sugar-rich nectar available, preferring a concentration greater than 10% sucrose! They also eat tiny insects and spiders to satisfy their protein needs. There are many fascinating examples of coevolution among hummingbirds and the plants they pollinate. Some hummingbirds are specialists and only feed from one type of plant. Most, however, will drink from any suitable plant in bloom. Hummingbird-pollinated flowers tend to be red or orange and tubular. Only one hummingbird species breeds in the southeastern US; the ruby-throated.

Native Hummingbird in the Georgia Coastal Plain

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

These hummers are commonly seen visiting trumpet creeper and coral bean in Georgia. They also like to visit columbine and scarlet sage. Even though this is the only breeding hummingbird in the southeast, it has the largest range of any hummer in North America. In fall, adults migrate to Central America, some crossing the gulf of Mexico! Planting native species that feed hummingbirds is a great way to help them fuel up for the journey!