The Rufous Hummingbird is a dashing little hummingbird, bright orange and rust colored.

Rufous Hummingbird – beautiful, small but …

Many people really like the Rufous. Its small size, bright color, and speed are appealing. The Rufous Hummingbird was even named 2014 Bird of the Year by the American Birding Association.

Then there’s the Rufous attitude. The Rufous Hummingbird is known for being “aggressive”. Maybe aggressive seems unlikely, given its small size …

but once you have seen a male Rufous Hummingbird … or males … around a feeder, you will understand their reputation.

Video of a Rufous Hummingbird guarding a very large feeder

This male Rufous Hummingbird spent much more time defending that large feeder than drinking from it. This video was recorded at the Cave Creek Research Station near Portal, Arizona in late July 2013.

Competition

At times, a male Rufous Hummingbird will focus on other Rufous males as they approach a feeder. The males may confront and chase each other rather than feed, while the rest of the hummingbirds look on or continue to drink.

Conflict at the feeders is not constant, however. In this Hummingbird Migration post, you can see that even Rufous males can settle down and tolerate other hummingbirds for a short time.

Female Rufous Hummingbird

Here is a female Rufous Hummingbird. The females and immature hummingbirds often look alike, so it can be tough to tell them apart. During fall migration, the young hummingbirds are mixed in with the females. It is also challenging to tell them apart from female or immature Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.

Young male Rufous Hummingbird

Here is an immature Rufous Hummingbird. This bird had a few scattered gorget feathers coming in, which led to identifying him as a young male. Immature males may also have heavy striping down the throat area, as this hummingbird does.

To identify the female and the young male above, I relied upon multiple photos of each hummingbird, a hummingbird bander’s tip on looking for some white around the orange gorget spot on females (thank you), the Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds*, and A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America**.

More about Rufous Hummingbirds

Rufous Hummingbird migrate hundreds … or thousands … of miles from their wintering grounds in Mexico (or southern United States) to their summer territories in the United States and Canada.  The males lead the way, arriving in the Pacific Northwest as early as February. Some continue on to Alaska and northwestern Canada. The females follow afterward.

Check out the Spring 2016 Rufous migration map by the Journey North, an educational organization that tracks wildlife movement using citizen observations.

The males leave as early as June or July on their southward migration to their wintering grounds. The females and young follow a little later in the summer.

We have learned a lot about Rufous Hummingbirds from hummingbird banders and citizens, as well as biologists. Their efforts have proven that a population of Rufous overwinters in the southeastern United States, rather traveling to Mexico. Our thanks go out to them.

Name: Selasphorus rufus

Size: 3.5 to 4 inches (9 to 10 cm)

Longest known migration: 3,530 miles

An Aside – Rufous Hummingbird look-alike

The Rufous looks almost identical to the Allen’s Hummingbird, a slightly smaller hummingbird of coastal California and Oregon. How do you tell them apart? We had relied primarily on geographical location (southern and coastal California for Allen’s) and on back color for the males (red for Rufous).

While useful, apparently these shortcuts are not definitive. Telling a Rufous from an Allen’s lies in the shape of the tail feathers. The picture of a male Rufous Hummingbird below shows his red back and a flared tail. That notched tail feather, second from the bottom, is distinctive. That’s a Rufous tail feather.

If you are interested in telling Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds apart, check out this article by Sheri Williamson for a clear description of color and tail feather shapes and links to photos.

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Sources for identifying the birds: *Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds by Donald and Lillian Stokes and **A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson

Sources for “More about Rufous Hummingbirds”: **A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson

The Blue-throated Hummingbird is a big, loud hummingbird. At least, the Blue-throated Hummingbird is loud at the Southwestern Research Station feeding area during summer.

It is the largest hummingbird that migrates into the United States. When this bird is around the feeding station, you know it.

This hummer is a little bigger than a Magnificent Hummingbird, between 4.75 and 5.25 inches long*. The Blue-throated Hummingbird’s head is smaller relative to its body and its bill shorter than the Magnificent’s.

Male Blue-throated Hummingbird

As with many hummingbird species, a male’s feathers can make him look like a different bird in different light.  Here is a male Blue-throated Hummingbird with the light catching his bright blue gorget.

The Same Male Blue-throated Hummingbird

This is the same bird. His posture was slightly different and the sun did not catch his gorget in the same way.

Blue-throated Hummingbird calls and wing sounds

Click the arrow above to listen to the high pitched call and the low wing sound of a Blue-throated Hummingbird. (The wing sounds are at a very low pitch and easier to hear with headsets or ear buds.)

The male Blue-throateds are loud compared to other hummingbirds at the feeding stations (except for the wing trill of the male Broad-tailed). They seem more aggressive than the Magnificents when we have seen them together.

Big tail

The Blue-throateds often challenge each other, and other hummingbirds, flaring their tails and giving chase. Their tails seem very long and broad compared to the other hummingbirds.

(Note: the post originally included “wings” as long. After discussing hummingbird flight with Dr. Don Powers (hummingbird researcher), we have removed the reference to wings. Those wings seem huge but are basically in proportion with the bird’s larger size.)

See a Blue-throated Hummingbird

The Blue-throated Hummingbird likes wooded canyons. We have seen one or more of these hummingbirds in Miller Canyon and Cave Creek Canyon, and heard reports of them at Ramsey Canyon. Each of these canyons has a stream running through it, though the stream may not always flow. Miller and Ramsey Canyons are in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista, AZ. Cave Creek Canyon is in the Chiricachua Mountains.

We see them most often, and in greatest numbers, at the feeding stations in Cave Creek Canyon. We generally enter the canyon from Portal, AZ, on the eastern side of the Chirachua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.

Day time feeding stations:

• Southwestern Research Station
• Cave Creek Ranch

Check for open hours. Bring cash for a donation. Check the Arizona birding listserv and other birding sites to find out if the birds are there.

Also, check the weather for Portal, AZ before you drive out. The monsoons can be powerful.

Photos were taken in 2014 at feeding stations in Cave Creek Canyon, near Portal, Arizona.

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*Source: Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson

The Magnificent Hummingbird is a big, beautiful hummingbird.

At least, the Magnificent Hummingbird is big compared to most of the other hummingbirds found in the United States. The Magnificent is 4.5 to 5.25 inches. Most hummingbird species in the US are between 3 and 4 inches long.

It has the bright colors of a tropical hummingbird, but you can see the Magnificent Hummingbird in some canyons in the southwestern United States. The birds come in from Mexico. We were amazed the first time we saw one at Ramsey Canyon Preserve. And when this large and loud hummingbird shows up at a feeder, you know it.

Same bird, different look

This is a hummingbird that likes the shade. It is not always easy to see the bright blue green on its gorget (throat) and the purple colors on its forehead. Many times, the Magnificent Hummingbird looks like a dark silhouette on its perch.

Side view of a male Magnificent Hummingbird

In the photo above, the male Magnificent’s gorget and head have not caught the light. Its head and gorget appear very dark. From the distance, no color is visible.

Male Magnificent Hummingbird colors

Here he has turned his head and the sunlight hit him just right. You’ll notice that this picture does not show his bright purple forehead – it depends on your angle of view. And on luck. This photo and the one above it were taken seconds apart.

Female Magnificent Hummingbird

The female is not as colorful or as dark. The females seem to be more shy than the males.

A Big but Shy Hummingbird

The Magnificent Hummingbird is surprisingly big hummingbird for the U.S. It stands out when you see it.

• Magnificent Hummingbird: 4.5 to 5.25 inches long
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 3.25 to 3.75 inches long
• Anna’s Hummingbird: 3.5 to 4 inches long*

The Magnificent’s wing humming sounds loud and low compared to the smaller hummingbirds.

The Magnificent is somewhat shy and perches back in the trees at feeding stations. But it can be assertive with smaller hummingbirds at feeders. Males will often chase each other, vocalizing as they fly about the feeding station and brush.

See a Magnificent Hummingbird

Here are the places we have seen one or more Magnificent Hummingbirds during spring and summer. Bring your binoculars since the Magnificents can be skittish, and you’ll want to look at them perching in nearby trees.

Each of the sites currently allows day visitors for a small cash donation. Make sure you check their hours. Some stay open late, some do not.

• Miller Canyon – Beatty’s Guest Ranch at the CAS
• Cave Creek – Southwestern Research Station
• Nature Conservancy Ramsey Canyon Preserve
• Ash Canyon B&B
• Cave Creek Ranch

This list is not comprehensive. There are other locations that allow day access, including other Bed and Breakfast places. Check the Arizona birding listserv and other birding sites. Ask around once you are in the area.

Photos were taken in 2014 at Miller Canyon near Sierra Vista, Arizona and at feeding stations on Cave Creek, near Portal, Arizona.

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*Source: A Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson

Here’s what a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird looks like when his throat feathers (gorget) catch the light.

But listen to this Broad-tailed Hummingbird sound file for the real clue. The wings of a mature male make a distinctive “trilling” sound in flight.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird wing sound

Click the arrow above to listen to the sound of the male Broad-tailed wing sound.

When this sound file was recorded, there were several hummingbird species at the feeding area, including Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Magnificent Hummingbirds. You can hear hummingbird vocalizations and background sounds. The Broad-tailed wing sounds are the high pitched trills at the beginning and end of the recording. Here’s a link to a Cornell recording for comparison.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird in the shade

In low light, a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s red gorget looks so dark that it appears to be black. In this backlit photo, the red in the gorget is not visible, though a little bit of pollen on the top of the hummingbird’s head shows up.

An adult male Broad-tailed Hummingbird looks very much like an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Here’s a picture of a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Or so we believe. We went to both of our favorite hummingbird field books for this one.  Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory and Beginner’s Guide to Hummingbirds by Donald and Lillian Stokes. And then we also compared the tail and bill length to one of our photos of a female Rufous hummingbird.

All of these pictures were taken at Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, outside of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The sound clip was also recorded there. Many thanks to the Beatty family!

Back to home or hummingbird pictures posts.

A male Broad-billed Hummingbird showed his iridescent green and blue feathers and his striking red bill at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum  this week.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

For contrast, here’s a female Broad-billed Hummingbird … or maybe an immature Broad-billed … from July 2013. This hummingbird was in the eucalyptus tree at the pathway entrance to the Arboretum’s Demonstration Garden.

A Broad-billed Hummingbird male was also working the Mexican Honeysuckle in the Hummingbird Garden and along the path. It can be difficult to see the beautiful, iridescent colors on the Broad-billed Hummingbird.

In some light, the Broad-billed Hummingbird just looks very dark.

We have often seen a male Broad-billed Hummingbird in the heavy shade near the feeders and the bench in the Hummingbird Garden. You may also hear him making chittering sounds and chasing off other hummers in defense of his territory.

A male Costa’s Hummingbird was also feeding from the Hummingbird Garden flower beds on the day we were there.

If you make it out to the Arboretum soon, keep an eye on the blooming aloes on the path that slopes down from the entrance. We saw at least one Anna’s Hummingbird feeding from the flowers quite close to the path.

The flowers are looking fantastic at the Arboretum this early March and the birds, butterflies, and bees are very active.

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