Ruby’s home is gone. She feels surprised. And worried. She looks around at the place where her winter migration home used to be. All that’s left there is a tree stump. Her home, a small, round nest made of Guanacaste tree twigs and leaves, has been knocked to the ground. The tree where her home used to be has been chopped down. Deforestation has hurt many hummingbirds in Central American cloud forests, just like Ruby.
Ruby feels sorrowful. Oh no! What will she do now? Poor little bird.
She has to look for a new home quickly, before she runs out of food. She knows she won’t be able to find food in the sea of tree stumps where her home used to be.
Ruby starts flying, looking from one forest to another. So many trees that used to be there have been destroyed. But Ruby has to keep flying.
After flying for many hours, her little wings are getting tired. But suddenly she spots another thick forest in the distance. She swoops down into the forest. But this forest is filled with howler monkeys, viper snakes, and poisonous dart frogs. All of them eat ruby-throated hummingbirds. Oh no.
Ruby keeps flying. Finally, she spots a tunnel next to a small wooden house in a clearing. It’s in the garden in behind a patch of bright purple and yellow orchids.
“Food!” Ruby eyes the orchids hungrily. She swoops down to take a peek.
A family of rabbits (called tapetis) lives in the tunnel! There’s a mom, a dad, and two baby bunnies. The dad bunny’s name Santiago and the mom is Esperanza. The babies’ names are Olivia and Mica.
She goes to say hello. “Hi, my name is Ruby and I’m looking for a new home. Can I live with you?” Ruby asks hesitantly.
The rabbits are very kind. They reply, “Yes, you can! There is space for all of us.”
They give her a nest to sleep in. Ruby enjoys living with her new family. Every day, they play games together, and every night they have dinner together. Ruby even meets some of the local birds, like a resplendent quetzal, a great green macaw, and a keel-billed toucan that doesn’t eat hummingbirds. She meets other animals too, like a friendly morpho butterfly named Minerva. She becomes friends with all of them.
Finally, spring comes again and Ruby says goodbye to all her new friends. “I’ll see you next winter!” she chirps as she flies away.
Written by Isa Hasan
