#Birds #BackyardBirds #Hummingbird #Iowa
I've had a couple of male hummingbirds around for 3 weeks, but today was the first time that I for sure saw a female. And, while the female was on the feeder, another hummingbird was doing zoomies above the tree -- back and forth and up and down. Apparently, romance is in the air.
I just guessed, based on the behavior -- the crazy zooming up and down and back and forth in the vicinity of the female. She didn't appear to be watching, but I know she could hear it (I could).
"In courtship display, the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird flies back and forth in front of the female in wide U-shaped "pendulum" arc, making a whirring sound on each dive. The male also buzzes back and forth in short passes in front of the perched female."
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ruby-throated-hummingbird
Before today, I've seen the males very clearly when they were perched. The ruby throat is iridescent and really shines. But I hadn't seen any females until today.
Don Ray
Max L