Hummingbirds in New Jersey may not be something you hear about very often, mainly because the numbers of hummingbird species are not really large, only two species visit this state. These two species are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Rufous Hummingbird. With the numbers of hummingbirds returning to New Jersey each year not as large as other states, it becomes important for hummingbird enthusiasts to provide habitat which attract them and provide the necessary food that they want to continue with their migrations.
In April, hummingbirds begin to return to New Jersey. They can show up as early as the 4th or as late as the 28th, varying each year as to when the hummingbirds will first be seen. The average day for them to return is between the 19th and the 23rd of April. Usually during the flowering season Quince, Crabapple, Apple, Blueberry, Azaleas, Autumn Olive, Black Locust and Tulip Tree. Hummingbirds can also benefit from the sap extracted from yellowing trees and shrubs, especially if a cold front happens to sweep through the area late, thus stopping the blooming of the plants they prefer.
Although hummingbirds in New Jersey tend to be more carefully prepared and maintained by shepherds, they almost completely neglect their favorite plants when they grow, but it is still important to have them ready in case they bloom or hummingbird population is getting to large for the hummingbird garden to handle it. Hummingbird enthusiasts keep their hummingbird gardens and shepherds have this in mind and have the foresight to have hummingbirds in their gardens blooming all the time that hummingbirds visit This can be done, among the plants in the garden which bloom at different times of the year, such as CISSANTHEMU; which blooms from about the 25th of May to the 15th of June.
While hummingbirds can prefer nectar while blooming flowers in the hummingbird garden, these hummingbirds may not be known as simple as when they are feeding hummingbird feeding. The good news is that since there are only two species of hummingbirds in New Jersey, the task of identifying each bird is not as difficult as if there were several species, some of which have similar characteristics. Identifying the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbird is easier with the males of the species because they have both. the colorful, shiny feathers that cover its body, but the feathers that cover the throat stand out and make it easy to recognize which bird it is. The Ruby-gutted Hummingbird does indeed have a reddish-red throat, but the Rufous Hummingbird is named after the color of its throat, not red, not red. However, the male rufous hummingbird has rufous colored feathers covering the crown, tail and sides. The females of these species are not so colored as the males, but they are found to be the same. The female Ruby-throated Hummingbird is characterized by a white breast; where as the female Rufous Hummingbird has a striped breast.
