Ruby-throated Hummingbird Female

Description: 3 1/2" tiny, needle-like bill, metallic-green above, white below, male has brilliant iridescent red throat, female green above, white throat and breast, buff sides, and white-tipped outer tail feathers,	Habitat: Common in the east in gardens with flowers, woodland edges, orchards, suburban areas with hummingbird feeders, parks. . Attracted to the color red.
Nesting: 2 white eggs in a woven nest made of plant down, held together with spider silk and covered with lichens, nest cradled in fork in tree	Range: breeds from southern Canada to Gulf Coast, winters mainly in tropics, occasionally on Gulf Coast
Voice: mouse-like twittering squeaks	Diet: Includes spiders; also takes tree sap from woodpecker drilling, sugar water from feeders

Notes: Only hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River, during hovering, wings beat 55 times/second, 61/second when moving backward, and at least 75/second when moving forward. Migrates annually across Gulf of Mexico, a 500 mile non-stop trip

When present in Oklahoma: Can be seen statewide in summer, extreme central and northern sections in winter