Ruby-throated hummingbirds are found throughout Missouri from April to October. They nest in backyards and forests. For more on this tiny but feisty bird, go to mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Fast Flapper
Hummingbirds flap their wings about 50 times a second. This makes a loud hum and helps a hummer hover like a tiny helicopter.
Sugar Rush
To keep their wings revved up, hummers must eat two or three times their weight in sugary nectar every day.
Totally Tubular
To reach deep inside tube-shaped flowers like columbine and trumpet creeper, hummers have long beaks and tongues.
Flying Gemstones
Grown-up males have a throat patch that sparkles like rubies in bright sunlight but looks black in the shadows.
Knitting a Nest
Mama hummers build tiny, cup-shaped nests. They line them with dandelion fluff and attach them to branches with spider silk.
Also In This Issue
Animals have adaptations to help them catch food, avoid being eaten, and survive nature’s unforgiving environments.
Forget what the calendar says. When you see the flicker of a firefly’s fanny, you know summer has arrived.
And More...
This Issue's Staff
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Designer – Marci Porter
Art Director – Cliff White
Editor – Matt Seek
Subscriptions – Marcia Hale
Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber