Gardening For Hummingbirds Species And Their Travels

Hummingbirds are unlike any other bird. Spanning the Americas with over 330 species, hummingbirds belong to Trochilidae, the second-largest bird family in the world. However, only the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) inhabits the Midwest. This hummingbird migrates south in late summer, with the males migrating first, typically in August. Before the non-stop flight to overwintering sites, this bird needs abundant food sources to fuel its journey to Florida, Texas, Central America, or Mexico.

Often, hummingbirds prefer open habitats along forest edges or areas with scattered tree...