Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate south each year, some flying nearly 600 miles from the eastern United States across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula each winter and back to their breeding grounds in the United States each spring. In the summer breeding season the ruby-throated hummingbird is often found in the ecotone, or edge, between forest and meadow. This habitat allows the birds to remain close to the trees they nest in, while also having a supply of flowering plants and insects nearby for food. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have adapted fairly well to human development, but still require food, shelter and space. For this reason, you can often find hummingbirds in backyards and wooded parks. When wintering in Mexico and Central America, ruby-throated hummingbirds tend to choose habitats similar to those they use in the United States for breeding and nesting during the summer. This includes the edges of thickets and second-growth forests where forests meet clearings such as pastures.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are preyed upon by hawks, praying mantids, bullfrogs and even large orb-weaving spiders. Habitat destruction due to agricultural growth and clearcutting of forests poses a major threat to the survival of these birds because they depend on specific forest plants for nourishment, nesting and roosting.
