Ornithology

Question

how many different kind of humming birds are there in the USA Polly

Answer

POLLY . . . <br /> <br />In the eastern U.S. and Canada, there is only one breeding species of hummingbird--the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris. In the western U.S. there are many more species--as many as 18 in Arizona and texas, although not all of them breed there. <br /> <br />With increasing regularity in the past decade or so, some of thsoe western species have been showing up in the eastern U.S.--especially in WINTER. <br /> <br />My summer research and education activities revolve around "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project," through which students, teachers, and citizen scientists work with me to learn new things about ruby-throats. <br /> <br />I also work to a lesser degree with winter vagrant hummingbirds, catching and banding them to see if we can determine what's causing them to show up in the East. I, and many other scientists, thing global warming may be playing a major role. <br /> <br />I encourage you to look at my Web site for "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" athttp://www.rubythroat.org and at my winter hummer work on my Web site for Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, specifically athttp://www.hiltonpond.org/ResearchHummerVagrantMain.html <br /> <br />Info about hummingbird distribution in the U.S. is athttp://www.rubythroat.org/ChecklistsUSStatesMain.html <br /> <br />Feel free to post additonal questions if you have any, or to write to me directly at <education@hiltonpond.org> <br /> <br /> <br />Best wishes, <br /> <br />BILL HILTON JR. http://www.hiltonpond.org <br /&gthttp://www.rubythroat.org hummingbirds <br />distribution <br />Trochilidae <br />Archilochus colubris <br />winter vagrant <br />global warming <br />Ruby-throated Hummingbirds <br /> http://vrd.askvrd.org/services/answerschema.xml