• Use a feeder to attract hummingbirds to your yard.hummingbird image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
  
  The hummingbird is one of North America's smallest birds. There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds, with the smallest type weighing only two grams. Hummingbirds travel by hovering, a result of moving their wings at a very high rate of speed. This unique creature can be found in the Upper Midwest and is a favorite of bird watchers.
  
  

Feeding Habits

• The hummingbird must consume large amounts of food to provide it with sufficient energy. In fact, it can consume up to twice its own body weight in nectar per day. The diet of a hummingbird consists primarily of nectar from flowers, but it also eats small insects and spiders which provide it with necessary protein. You can attract hummingbirds to your garden and provide them with nutrition by hanging a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water.
  
  

Mating Habits

• Male hummingbirds use a variety of behaviors to attract a female mate. The male is more vibrantly colored than the female and will puff out his feathers to draw attention to himself. He may also perform a courtship dive by flying high into the air and turning around to fly quickly back to the ground. Once a female hummingbird has accepted her mate, she will perch on a branch and spread her tail feathers. The actual act of mating only lasts a few seconds, then the birds part ways.
  
  

Social Habits

• Hummingbirds are mostly solitary animals. They do not remain together after the mating process, and the female hummingbird builds the nest and cares for her young. She will defend the nest aggressively against predators and other hummingbirds. Male hummingbirds are territorial and will not hesitate to fight other male hummingbirds that enter their territory. Hummingbirds choose their territories based on the availability of food and water. When the time comes for hummingbirds to migrate, they make the long flight alone.
  
  

Specific Species

• The mating, diet and social habits of hummingbirds found in the upper Midwestern states are very similar, regardless of species. They do differ slightly in size and color. The ruby-throated hummingbird is, on average, 3 1/2 inches long and weighs 1/8 oz. It is located in all the upper Midwestern states. The male has an emerald green back and, as its name suggests, an iridescent red throat. His tail is forked, and unlike the female's tail, contains no white coloring. Females also have an emerald green back, but the throat is white and the tail is more rounded in shape, with white tips. There is one other species that can be found in every upper Midwestern state--the rufous hummingbird. Male rufous hummingbirds are a bright orange color on the back and belly and have a red throat. Females are light green in color on the top of the head and back and have a reddish rump and tail. She will usually have a white throat with green spotting and a red center spot. The females of both species are slightly larger in size than the males.
  
  

Migration Habits

• Due to cold winters, hummingbirds are not found in the Midwestern states year round. Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend their winters in Central America and begin heading north from March through May. They can generally be expected to arrive in the upper Midwest in April or May, when plants begin to bloom. They depart in the fall, when the blooming season ends. Rufous hummingbirds begin migrating as early as February but typically arrive in the Midwest in late April. They begin their journey back south by late August.