On Gaurd

On Gaurd by ricmcarthur
On Gaurd, a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr.
Ruby throated hummingbirds can be very territorial when it comes to feeders.
This one was sitting about 2 feet above "his" feeder and wouldn't let any of the other birds near it.
It looks like he expends more energy chasing others away than he gets from the feeder.
We have three feeders out, all out of sight of the other feeders to improve the feeding opportunities for the 8 or so hummingbirds currently in the yard.

Scientific stuff
Archilochus colubris
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a small hummingbird with a slender, slightly downcurved bill and fairly short wings that don’t reach all the way to the tail when the bird is sitting.
These tiny birds are omnivores, sometimes feeding on insects and spiders. An adult ruby-throated hummingbird may eat twice its body weight in food each day

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