Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in southern Pennsylvania is no stranger to broken limbs. Earlier this year, they took in a bobcat with two broken legs<\/a>, who even got a custom kennel<\/a> after undergoing surgery. But recently, the wildlife center received a completely different and much smaller patient: a ruby-throated hummingbird<\/a> (Archilochus colubris).<\/p>\n These approximately sparrow-sized birds<\/a> are a migratory species with small wings that beat over 50 times per second. As the name suggests, adult males have ruby-colored and iridescent throats, though their body\u00a0 actually looks black in most lighting conditions. Ruby-throated hummingbirds\u2019 range<\/a> stretches across parts of North and Central America.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe get hummingbirds quite often for several reasons, from wind strikes, being clipped by cars, being stuck in fishing line, or cat attacks,\u201d Raven Ridge Wildlife Center \u2018s director Tracie Young tells Popular Science.\u00a0<\/p>\n This particular patient came in with a broken wing. A rehabilitator realigned the injured limb with tweezers, <\/a>before fixing it in place with medical tape. According to the team, this bird was lucky to be rescued before the wing could heal incorrectly.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/injured-hummingbird.jpeg\")
Ruby-throated hummingbirds have a range that stretches across North and Central America. Image: Raven Ridge Wildlife Center. <\/p>\n
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