Ruby Throated Hummingbird- Our first Migration Story

Earlier this year, I announced my focus for 2026-- Migration stories. I also asked you to vote on your favorite migratory species that visit the southeastern us, and submit anecdotes about them.  

Let me just tell you, these stories have been SO HEARTWARMING.  Folks have submitted a wide variety of anecdotes, ranging from the simple "My wife likes ducks"  to "My college professor took us on a field trip to see the tundra swan migration, and it inspired me to become an ornithologist."  Thank you so much for those who have submitted.  

It also became clear when looking at the voting, that the #1 species y'all wanted me to focus on was the Ruby Throated hummingbird. 74% of responders voted for this species.  Here are a few quotes: 

" I could watch these amazing creatures fly around all day. Something both frenetic and peaceful about their existence."

"I have 3 hummingbirds that come every year. One male and two females"

Above: The inking techniques I used on this piece were quite tricky. I used 4 colors of ink on the honeysuckle flowers alone. Here is the block all inked up and ready to pull. Here's a video of the process. 

Thanks to y'all's encouragement, I'm digging in to learn more about this tiny bird, and what its life looks like when it's not with us. 

Migration:  Ruby throated Hummingbirds travel thousands of miles to get to us each year, with many of them crossing the Gulf of Mexico (a 500-600 mile trip) to return to their northern breeding grounds. These crossings begin in February and can last until April-- a tactic apparently designed so that one big weather event can't wipe out the whole species.   This migration map gives an awesome visual of the huge range covered by these tiny birds that weight about the same as a penny. 

Food Plants: These little birds sync their travel with the bloom of our native plants, especially brightly colored tubular plants such as Lonicera sempervirens, Coral Honeysuckle, Eastern Columbine, and Trumpet Creeper.  They often travel during the day, when these flower sources are most abundant. In the fall, the bright red blooms of the Cardinal Flower are an important food source for them as they make their way back down south. 

Above: I also created a new wallpaper design featuring elements from the original block print, along with hand-inked linen textures. The pattern is called "Coral Honeysuckle" since it highlights this plant's importance to both the ruby throated hummingbirds and the Snowberry Clearwing (Hummingbird Moth) whose striking caterpillars rely on this plant for food. 

Wintering Grounds: While a handful of Ruby throated hummingbirds  overwinter in the coastal southeast, the vast majority of them travel to Central America and Southern Mexico to spend their winters. Here, they have been cherished by indigenous cultures for many generations. During the winter months, many Ruby throated hummingbirds find shelter in shade-grown Coffee farms, where they need to defend their territories against as many as 59 other species of hummingbird.  I guess this explains how the hummingbirds that journey back to us each year became so fierce-- they've basically been combat training all winter. 

Predators: In my own garden, I once saw an optimistic juvenile rat snake climb up the pole of my hummingbird feeder, planning to ambush one of our visitors.  They also can be preyed on by sharp-shinned hawks, Kestrels, and even Orb weavers. In their wintering grounds, it seems that these birds face off with a whole new set of predators, including Mexican spiny-tailed iguanas, and pigmy owls. 

Pollinators: We all know the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem.  Most of of think of bees and butterflies when we think of pollinators, but pollination can also be performed by other species such as bees, moths, and yes-- hummingbirds. Because of their high metabolism, hummingbirds need to visit thousands of flowers a day just to survive.  This makes them incredibly productive pollinators, and the plants they visit in turn produce more seeds, fruits, and nectar producing plants, giving a boost to our entire southeastern food web. 

I loved learning more about this species, and it was so special to me that-- as I researched this project and created this artwork-- the first hummingbirds of the year arrived in my Hillsborough, NC garden.  I'm always so excited to see them, but this year I felt so much more appreciation for what they've been through to get here. I'll keep y'all posted throughout the year with more migrations stories as the year goes on, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your hummingbirds!

-Katie 

Resources: 

This article by the Georgia Department of Natural resources offers an incredible glimpse at the life of RTH when they aren't with us, and learning about why if we love Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, we should all be drinking shade-grown coffee.