Summertime in the Salvia Garden

by Mary Lynn Giacomini

Title

Summertime in the Salvia Garden

Artist

Mary Lynn Giacomini

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Photography By Mary Lynn Giacomini
Photographed in my Illinois Garden



The male Ruby- throated Hummingbird attracted to the purple Salvia flowers in my Illinois garden.

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, are probably the most common hummingbird in the world Around 300 different species of hummingbirds exist around the Americas in places such as the United States, the Caribbean, Ecuador and Canada. Major noticeable differences occur in male and female hummingbirds, such as appearances, overall size, breeding roles and behaviors. You can easily identify the sex of a hummingbird if you look closely.

Male and female hummingbirds can be identified simply based on the color of their feathers. Male hummingbirds have bright feathers to attract females and to deter males by expressing their dominance. A patch of brightly-colored feathers on the necks of males is known as a gorget. A gorget's color range includes red, purple, orange, blue and pink. When hit with sunlight, the gorget will glisten due to refraction, or the bending of sunlight against the different-sized feathers. Males can make the gorget appear to be black to avoid attracting predators. Unlike males, female hummingbirds have no bright feathers to display. Females are often brown or dull green in color.

Uploaded

July 6th, 2023

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