Rufous hummingbird, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

© Dave Hutchison Photography/Getty Image

Nectar stopover. Rufous hummingbird

Blink, and you miss them. Rufous hummingbirds don't just fly—they dart, hover and zip through gardens like tiny, feathered rockets. They migrate thousands of kilometres from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest, making one of the longest migratory journeys relative to body size. The males arrive first, flashing their signature coppery-orange feathers to claim territory. They perform dramatic aerial dives to impress potential mates, reaching speeds of nearly 80 kilometres per hour. With wings beating up to 42 to 62 times per second based on gender, they burn energy fast, making frequent pit stops at flowers and feeders to fuel up. Once the display is over, the female gets to work, building a soft, camouflaged nest in trees or shrubs, where she raises the tiny chicks on her own.

Rufous hummingbirds' diet consists mainly of nectar from flowers like honeysuckle and salmonberry, supplemented with small insects. If you want to attract them to your garden, native flowers or a well-maintained nectar feeder will do the trick. Just be prepared—once a rufous hummingbird claims a spot, it won't give it up without a fight as these feisty birds aggressively defend their feeding territory, chasing away rivals.