| Hummingbirds
and How to Attract Them
 They’ve
been named wood nymphs, comets, mountain gems, fairies, sunbeams,
plummeteers, sun angels and woodstars by the people who discovered
them. In fact, the name hummingbird comes not from the bird’s
voice, but from the “whir” of its wings whipping the
air 70 to 80 times a second.
While 320 different
species of hummingbirds live in North, Central and South America,
only 20 grace the United States. Most of them can be found in the
Southwest. In Washington, however, we can catch glimpses of the
Rufous and Anna’s Hummingbird west of the Cascade Mountains,
and the Rufous, Calliope and sometimes the Black-chinned Hummingbird
east of the Cascade Mountains.
With the exception
of Anna’s Hummingbird which stays year round, our visitors
usually arrive by May and depart for warmer, flower-producing weather
by October. Males arrive 2 to 3 weeks earlier than females.
The male's jewel-like
throat feathers show brilliant, iridescent oranges, reds or violets
when light strikes them just right. This throat patch is called
a "gorget" (pronounced gor-jet) after a piece of medieval
armor that protected the throat. Females lack the gorget and have
mostly green backs and light bellies.
To identify
hummingbirds online go to: www.enature.com
There are two ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard—artificially
by using feeders with nectar-like sugar solutions, and naturally
with flowers, shrubs and trees that produce nectaring blossoms.
A combination
of both is recommended: flowering plants for their nectar and
insects, and a feeder or two for your viewing pleasure. |
