Operation RubyThroat

What Operation RubyThroat does

Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project is a cross-disciplinary international citizen science and education initiative focused on the behavior, distribution, and migration of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) across North and Central America. It is operated by Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, a 501(c)(3) non-profit headquartered on an 11-acre site in York, South Carolina that Bill Hilton Jr. established in 1982 and formally incorporated in 1999. Hilton holds Master Permit (#21558) from the federal Bird Banding Laboratory and has personally banded more than 50,000 birds of 124 species at the Center, including over 3,600 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

The project's core methodology is manual field ornithology: capture via mist nets and pull-string traps, federal-permitted banding, color-marking of individuals with non-toxic dyes (green at Hilton Pond; blue, black, or brown at partner sites) for non-invasive re-sighting, and aggregation of citizen-submitted observations into a central clearinghouse on the rubythroat.org website. The technology stack is intentionally low-tech: a static web platform with educational content, an annotated glossary, a keyword search engine, student activity modules, a Yahoo Groups discussion community (Hummingbird Hobnob), and integration as a science protocol within The GLOBE Program's international K-12 educational network. No mobile app, API, or software SDK is offered.

The business model is a non-profit donation and grant-funded model. Participation, content access, and data submission are free; revenue consists of individual donations via Network for Good and PayPal, iGive affiliate commissions from more than 1,000 online stores, in-kind contributions, and small-to-mid-sized grants from agencies such as the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Perky-Pet, Sigma Xi, the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science, and historically larger underwriters including The Christensen Fund, Agilent Technologies, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Phillips Petroleum. The go-to-market is community-led, recruiting K-12 teachers, students, and adult citizen scientists across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and seven Central American countries to contribute observational data.

Name

Operation RubyThroat

Legal name

Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History

Website

https://rubythroat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Operation RubyThroat is a free, grant-funded citizen science and education initiative studying Ruby-throated Hummingbird behavior and migration across North and Central America, operated by Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in York, South Carolina for K-12 teachers, students, and adult enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, the parent 501(c)(3) organization, accepts financial donations from individuals and organizations to support Operation RubyThroat activities. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States to the extent allowed by law. The Center also receives in-kind contributions and accepts donations through Network for Good, PayPal, and the iGive shopping program.
2. Grant Funding: Research at the Center has been funded in part by small grants from organizations including South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Perky-Pet (hummingbird feeder manufacturer), Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society of Clemson University, and the South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. Major underwriters include The Christensen Fund ($35,000 for 2001-2002), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Phillips Petroleum ($17,500 matching grants), The Impact Fund of the Foundation for the Carolinas ($6,000), and Agilent Technologies ($36,000 in 2002-2003).
3. iGive Affiliate Program: Through the iGive program, more than 1,000 online stores donate a percentage of purchase prices to support Hilton Pond Center and Operation RubyThroat. iGive provides an additional $5 donation for each new member who signs up and makes a purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Operation RubyThroat is a free cross-disciplinary international citizen science and education project focused on the behavior and distribution of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). The project provides a web-based educational platform (www.rubythroat.org) with hummingbird natural history resources, a banding data collection protocol, an online discussion community, and student activity modules, engaging K-12 teachers, students, and adult citizen scientists across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.

Product overview

Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project is a citizen science and educational initiative focused on studying Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) behavior and distribution across North and Central America. The project comprises a central web platform (www.rubythroat.org) offering educational resources, an annotated glossary, student activities, and a searchable knowledge base; a data collection and submission system; a banding research protocol operated through Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History; an online discussion community (Hummingbird Hobnob via Yahoo Groups); and participation in The GLOBE Program as a science protocol. The project targets K-12 students, teachers, and adult citizen scientists across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central American countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project A cross-disciplinary international citizen science project in which K-12 students, teachers, and the public collaborate to study the behavior and distribution of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) across North and Central America; participation is free and open to anyone interested in hummingbirds.
• Hummingbird Banding Data Collection A research protocol and data collection system through which participants submit sightings of color-marked and banded Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to a central clearinghouse for analysis and dissemination.
• Student Activity Resources Cross-disciplinary educational activities (art, drama, geography, math, music, writing) for K-12 students aligned with Operation RubyThroat's hummingbird observation curriculum.
• Annotated Glossary of Hummingbird Terms An extensive A-to-Z glossary of hummingbird-related terminology with cross-referenced links to other pages on the Operation RubyThroat website, serving as both a glossary and an internal search index.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50,000 birds of 124 species banded since 1982, making it one of the most active banding stations in the Southeast
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The GLOBE ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperation RubyThroat operates as a Science Partner in The GLOBE Program, an international educational initiative. The partnership provides the framework for student participation across member countries, with Operation RubyThroat serving as both an independent project and a GLOBE protocol. Students and teachers participate through the GLOBE network alongside independent participants.
• iGiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThrough the iGive program, more than 1,000 online stores donate a percentage of purchase prices to support Hilton Pond Center and Operation RubyThroat. iGive provides an additional $5 donation for each new member who signs up and makes a purchase.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• iNaturalist: Broad citizen science biodiversity observation platform with mobile-first design and AI-assisted species identification. Competes for the same volunteer observation audience with significantly more modern technology infrastructure.
• The GLOBE Program: International K-12 science education program in which Operation RubyThroat itself operates as a registered Science Partner. Both engage distributed student observers through standardized protocols across member countries.
• Journey North: Citizen science platform tracking migratory species (monarchs, robins, hummingbirds) via volunteer-reported sightings. Same community-led observation model applied to seasonal migration data across North America.
• eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): The world's largest citizen science bird observation platform, collecting distributed sighting data from observers globally. Direct overlap with Operation RubyThroat's model of volunteer-submitted bird observation data submitted to a central clearinghouse for analysis.
• Celebrate Urban Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): K-12 focused citizen science bird observation project engaging schools and community groups in urban areas. Same education-first, volunteer-driven bird observation audience as Operation RubyThroat.
• Hummingbird Monitoring Network: Dedicated to monitoring hummingbird populations through citizen science banding and observation across the western U.S. Closest direct comparator in hummingbird-specific citizen science methodology, banding protocols, and volunteer-driven data collection.
• Project FeederWatch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): Winter bird counts at backyard feeders conducted by volunteer citizen scientists. Similar data collection model targeting amateur bird observers with standardized protocols over multi-year timeframes.
• Great Backyard Bird Count (Cornell Lab / Audubon): Annual four-day citizen science bird counting event engaging participants across North America. Comparable model of recruiting distributed observers to submit standardized bird counts to a central database.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Large established bird conservation organization with broad portfolio including citizen science (Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count), advocacy, sanctuaries, and climate research. Comparable citizen science program operating within a much larger institutional context.
• NatureServe: Wildlife data and conservation science organization aggregating species occurrence and habitat data across North America. Comparable biological data collection and dissemination mission, operating at broader taxonomic and geographic scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rubythroat1
• YouTubegroups.yahoo.com/group/HummingbirdHobnob
• Facebookfacebook.com/rubythroats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operation-rubythroat-the-hummingbird-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operation RubyThroat