| From the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail the ruby-throat measures from 7.5 cm to slightly more than 9 cm. No larger than some insects!
The male ruby-throat is shiny metallic green above and greyish white below and has a forked tail. Females lack the ruby-throat but, in every other respect, are similar.
Unlike other birds, it can hover in place. Its wings appear to be a blur in flight. Scientists have been able to establish the rate of the wingbeats, by high speed photography, at about 55 to 75 beats a second.
They actually cross the 800 km expanse of the Gulf of Mexico on their way to and from their wintering grounds in Central America.
Photo © Roy Harvey
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