Hummingbird Calisthenics

This juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird seemed to be doing exercises as it hovered in our garden.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds move exceptionally quickly. The birds are capable of rapidly beating their wings more than 50 times a second. It's possible to hear the beat of the wings, which name a humming sound, hence the bird's name. Ruby-throated hummingbirds also call with a mouselike squeak.
These hummingbirds are very small, growing only 3.5 inches (nine centimeters) tall and weighing less than a quarter of an ounce (seven grams). Male and female ruby-throated hummingbirds look very similar, except for one large difference. The males has the ruby throat that gave the species its name, while the female's throat is white. Both the males and the females have a metallic green head, back, sides, wings, and tail, and a white chest and belly. In different lighting, the male's throat can appear pink, red, or even purple.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their summers throughout the eastern United States. In autumn, they migrate to their wintering grounds in Central America. Some ruby-throated hummingbirds have been known to winter in southern Florida. They prefer habitats where there are a lot of flowers, such as fields, parks, backyards, and open clearings in forests.
Many of the plants they naturally feed on have red or orange blooms. Most hummingbird feeders are red to mimic the native plants they naturally feed on. They use their thin beaks and long tongues to drink nectar from flowers.. Hummingbirds also feed on tiny insects and spiders. They rely on these invertebrates as food for their young.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only breeding hummingbirds found in the eastern United States.

The nest of the ruby-throated hummingbird is very delicate and takes 6 to 10 days to build. The tiny nest is often only the size of a thimble and rests atop a branch. The nest is made of grasses and plant fibers, and held together with spider silk. It's then lined with more plant material.
Eggs incubate for about two weeks. The young can fly as soon as 20 days after hatching.
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