BirdNote; Rufous Hummingbirds in Summer

BirdNote®

Rufous Hummingbirds in Summer

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

[Male wing-whistle and vocal chatter]

For many folks in the Pacific Northwest, western Canada, and Alaska, the return of the Rufous Hummingbird in the spring is cause for celebration. The deep buzz of their arrival marks the start of summer.

[Sound of Rufous hummer zooming by]

In July, many of the fiery-red adult males have begun their migration southward. Meanwhile, the female Rufous Hummingbird has fledged her first two nestlings and is just about to fledge a second brood. The chicks are now as big as their mother, making the walls of their walnut-sized nest bulge outwards at maximum capacity.

It takes about 40 days to fledge each brood, from egg-laying until the young learn to fly. They learn to feed on their own through trial and error, until they finally figure out which flowers offer the best nectar.

Nearly all the Rufous Hummingbirds will begin their migration by late August, sipping their way south on high-mountain wildflowers, all the way to Mexico — until they whistle into our lives again in spring.

[Male Rufous Hummingbird display dive sounds]

Today’s show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation.

For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.

If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker, “Play the podcast BirdNote.” Learn more on our website, BirdNote.org.

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Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Sallie Bodie

Editor: Ashley Ahearn

Producer: Mark Bramhill

Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. ML 73025891 recorded by Laura Gooch

BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

© 2020 BirdNote July 2020 Narrator: Mary McCann

ID# 071007RUHU4-4 RUHU-08b