Rufous Hummingbirds typically require more of a woodland environment for nesting than do Anna's Hummingbirds. The Rufous makes the longest migration of any bird for its size. Imagine a 3.5 gram bird flying all the way from southern Mexico to the Puget Sound area just to breed.

 

With many bird species, the adult male and female construct the nest and raise the young together. Female hummingbirds do this all by themselves, creating a nest from plant down, moss, spider silk and lichen. The nest's inside diameter is less than one inch. It takes about 7-10 days to complete. Rufous have been known to reuse a nest from the previous year, if it is in good condition. Rufous Hummingbirds always lay two eggs.

 

We monitored this nest (photo above) for 36 consecutive days. She incubated the eggs for 14 days, brooded for 6 days (keeping featherless chicks warm), continued to feed nestlings for another 16 days, until they fledged. We always waited for "mom" to leave the nest on her own before aproaching to take photographs. A point & shoot camera was used.

 

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