“Achilles” the Ruby-throated hummingbird

Scientific name: Archilochus colubris
Geographic location: America
Artist: Jessa Huebing-Reitinger
Medium: Oil on canvas 71” x 71” 2007
Performance venue: Home studio

This painting depicts a hummingbird flying away with a newly hatched mantid nymph, which is no bigger than a mosquito at birth. Hummingbirds eat many small insects as well as nectar from plants. A favorite flower of the ruby-throat is a spotted jewelweed (Imapatiens capensis). This particular species blooms later in the season and gives the ruby-throat the essential high energy food they need as they migrate south for the winter. Ruby throats will migrate across the Gulf of Mexico in one flight and return the following spring to their birth location.

Hummingbirds are aggressive territorial birds and you can often see them defending their territory against intruders, from other birds to lizards and other small wildlife.

This is Jessa’s newest painting and her first challenge at feathers on this scale. She painted it from a specimen given to the project from the Kansas City Zoo over three years ago. “Achilles” was created for the Project InSECT exhibit, but also for an international art competition and took two months to complete.