3.75 inches long. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a very small bird with a long straight this bill. The adult male has a metallic bronze-green back and crown. The tail is forked and entirely dark. The underparts are white with greenish flanks. The throat is iridescent scarlet. The there is black on the face and chin between the throat and crown. The female does not have a scarlet throat. Rather she has a white chin and throat with a variable amount of thin dark streaks. Her tail is dark with white tips on the outer tail feathers.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a common breeding bird seen from May through September. It may easily be seen at feeders at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the hummingbird of the east and the only one to likely occur in the Omaha area. Despite their tiny size, many of these birds fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico during fall and spring migration. The song is a series of rapid squeaky chipping notes.
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