<P> This hummingbird is from 7 to 9 cm (2.8 to 3.5 in) long and has an 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in) wingspan . Weight can range from 2 to 6 g (0.071 to 0.212 oz), with males averaging 3.4 g (0.12 oz) against the slightly larger female which averages 3.8 g (0.13 oz). Adults are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near - black wings . Their bill, at up to 2 cm (0.79 in), is long, straight, and very slender . As in all hummingbirds, the toes and feet of this species are quite small, with a middle toe of around 0.6 cm (0.24 in) and a tarsus of approximately 0.4 cm (0.16 in). The ruby - throated hummingbird can only shuffle if it wants to move along a branch, though it can scratch its head and neck with its feet . </P> <P> The species is sexually dimorphic . The adult male has a gorget (throat patch) of iridescent ruby red bordered narrowly with velvety black on the upper margin and a forked black tail with a faint violet sheen . The red iridescence is highly directional and appears dull black from many angles . The female has a notched tail with outer feathers banded in green, black, and white and a white throat that may be plain or lightly marked with dusky streaks or stipples . Males are smaller than females and have slightly shorter bills . Juvenile males resemble adult females, though usually with heavier throat markings . The plumage is molted once a year, beginning in late summer . </P> <P> The breeding habitat is throughout most of eastern North America and the Canadian prairies, in deciduous and pine forests and forest edges, orchards, and gardens . The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or a tree . Of all hummingbirds in the United States, this species has the largest breeding range . </P> <P> The ruby - throated hummingbird is migratory, spending most of the winter in southern Mexico and Central America, as far south as extreme western Panama, the West Indies, and southern Florida . During migration, some birds embark on a nonstop 900 - mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean from Panama to Gulf Coast . The bird breeds throughout the eastern United States, east of the 100th meridian, and in southern Canada, particularly Ontario, in eastern and mixed deciduous and broadleaved forest . In winter, it is seen mostly in Mexico and southern Florida . </P>

Where do ruby throated hummingbirds build their nests