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Discover Nature: Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Missouri Department of Conservation

This week on Discover Nature, watch – and listen – for a tiny, feathered pollinator that sings with its wings.

Ruby throated hummingbirds display metallic green feathers on their upper backs, and males sport a ruby red patch at their throat.

Common across Missouri from April to October, other hummingbirds who nested farther north have already begun their fall migration, and are arriving in Missouri – making now a great time to see their numbers peak here.

As these birds head home for the winter, some will fly nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico to reach destinations as far away as South America.

Ruby throated hummingbirds are important for many plant species that require a long-billed pollinator for reproduction.  As they hover and hum, with wings beating about 53 times per second, it’s hard to find a bird more delightful and fascinating to watch.

Learn more about ruby throated hummingbirds with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online Field Guide.

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Trevor serves as KBIA’s weekday morning host for classical music. He has been involved with local radio since 1990, when he began volunteering as a music and news programmer at KOPN, Columbia's community radio station. Before joining KBIA, Trevor studied social work at Mizzou and earned a masters degree in geography at the University of Alabama. He has worked in community development and in urban and bicycle/pedestrian planning, and recently served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia with his wife, Lisa Groshong. An avid bicycle commuter and jazz fan, Trevor has cycled as far as Colorado and pawed through record bins in three continents.
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