Rufous hummingbird

The adult male, shown in the photo, has a white breast, rufous face, upperparts, flanks and tail and an iridescent orange-red throat patch . Some males have some green on back and/or crown. The female has green upperparts, white underparts, some iridescent orange feathers in the center of the throat, and a dark tail with white tips and rufous base. Females and the rare green-backed males are extremely difficult to differentiate from Allen's Hummingbird.

The Rufous hummingbird is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a small hummingbird, about 8 cm long (3 inches) with a long, straight and very slender bill. The female is slightly larger than the male. The adult male, shown in the photo, has a white breast, rufous face, upperparts, flanks and tail and an iridescent orange-red throat patch (gorget). Some males have some green on back and/or crown. More

Rufous Hummingbirds have the hummingbird gift for fast, darting flight and pinpoint maneuverability. They are pugnacious birds that tirelessly chase away other hummingbirds, even in places they’re only visiting on migration. Like other hummers, they eat insects as well as nectar, taking them from spider webs or catching them in midair. More

To tell you about Rufous hummingbirds is a labor of love. Starting from the time that Martha Gail and I would regularly drive 600 or 700 miles to investigate a single reported More

A hovering Rufous Hummingbird on Saltspring Island A perched Rufous Hummingbird A perched female Rufous Hummingbird They are migratory, many of them migrating through the Rocky Mountains and nearby lowlands in July and August to take advantage of the wildflower season there. They may stay in one spot for considerable time, in which case the migrants, like breeding birds, often aggressively take over and defend feeding locations. More

The female rufous hummingbird is green above, rufous on the sides, white beneath, and has orange-red spots on the throat patch - just like the female Allen's hummingbird. However, unlike the female Allen's, a closer observation finds the female rufous with rufous coloring at the base of its outer tail feathers, black in the middle, and white at the tip. More

Here are two views of a Rufous Hummingbird specimen in the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (CU5404; immature male; collected in New Mexico, 10 August 1901). Notice the better fit to the Lenoir hummingbird: the central rectrix is just about the same length as r2, and the white-tipped outer feathers are rather evenly stair-stepped. - Return to the Bad Photos page. Return to Kevin McGowan's home page. Go to the Crow Page. More

Rufous Hummingbirds are also found in sub-alpine shrubby habitats and in residential areas. In damp western Washington, they are found in many habitats. On the dry side of the Cascades they are limited to higher elevations and other locations where rainfall is greater. back to top Behavior - In courtship, the male attracts the female with an aerial display. More

Rufous hummingbirds, specifically, are generalists in their feeding strategy. They were observed visiting 24 species of plants and have previously been observed feeding at the flowers of two columnar cactus species (Pachycereus pringlei and Carnegiea gigantea; Ted Fleming pers. comm. 2000, Francisco Molina pers. comm. 2001), chuparrosa and jackass clover (Wislizenia refracta) on the coast, Mohave beardtongue (Penstemon pseudospectabilis) in the Sierra Pinacate (Calder 1993), and mescal (Agave augustifolia) at Agualurca near Hermosillo (Francisco Molina F., pers. comm., 2001). More

The Rufous hummingbird is the most widely distributed and most abundant hummingbird in the West. Its breeding range extends from southern Alaska and the Yukon territory, South through Oregon and the northern portions of California and as far West as southwestern Alberta and western Montana. Hummers that nest in the far North undertake a journey of up to 3,000 miles along the Pacific coast from the southern parts of Mexico where most of them winter. More

rufous hummingbird follows the Rocky Mountains, in essence making its round trip a circular one. Behavior - 3. Like all hummingbirds, the rufous can rotate its wing in different directions, allowing it to fly backward and hover. It can change direction rapidly, and it beats its wing at the rate of an average 57 times each second. More

Rufous Hummingbird appeared at Lenoir in 2001, followed by NY State's first Calliope Hummingbird records that same winter. The vagrant hummingbird story caught the attention of CBS News in 2002. More

While adult male Rufous Hummingbirds have rufous backs and heads and Allen's have green there, immature male Allen's can have rufous on the back too (or so I am told). Separating the two species is difficult, and the best character is the width of the outermost tail feather (rectrix 5) (Rufous broader than Allen's) and the presence in Rufous of a slight notch in the next-to-middle tail feather (r2). Unfortunately, these are very difficult to see in the field. More

Rufous Hummingbird is among the hummingbirds that can be identified by the aerial display of males in courtship. The Rufous Hummingbird makes a series of steep, J-shaped dives that end at the same point, but begin at points progressing around a circle. The descents are rapid and the upward movements that connect the bottom of the J to the starting points around the circle are slow. More

Rufous Hummingbird male has rufous face, back, flanks, rump and tail. Sometimes, crown and back may be marked with green. We can see bright orange-red gorget, with some elongated feathers extending far down sides of neck. Top of head is bronze-green. Chin and throat show a shiny metallic scarlet colour. More

Although the Rufous Hummingbird is a small bird, it is known for its feisty nature and aggression at bird feeders. Territorial at all times of the year, the Rufous Hummingbird will attempt to drive all birds out of its domain. Due to its high metabolism, the Rufous Hummingbird must eat constantly, feasting on nectar and insects, giving it energy for flapping its wings at incredible speeds. More

The rufous hummingbird is widely acknowledged as the most aggressive of the hummingbirds, and this tiny copper-colored bird will readily attack birds many times its size. Yet even with a territorial attitude, this hummingbird is a welcome and beautiful addition to many backyards. More

Rufous hummingbirds are on the move into western Montana this week. One rufous even has a name; he's called "Glitterpants." Storms and rain caused a "fall out," and 89 new rubythroat sightings reported. High speed cameras allow us to learn new things about hummingbirds. A "Nature" video shows how. And what do you want to know about the hummingbird nesting cycle? Plug in to this important part of the hummingbird's life cycle. More

The Rufous Hummingbird is a small hummingbird which prefers to breed in open land areas or edges of woodlands in western North America, including southern Alaska and California. This species nests further north than any other species of hummingbird in the world. Nests are well-hidden in shrubs or conifers, and are defended by males. The Rufous Hummingbird migrates to the Rocky Mountains and lowlands to feed off of the wildflowers found there in the winter months. More

True Description: The Rufous Hummingbird is the second most common species observed in Ontario. At 9-10 cm (3.5-4 in) in length, it is slightly larger than the Ruby-throated and has a somewhat rounder appearance. Adult males can only be confused with the Allen's Hummingbird which is very similar in appearance. The adult male Rufous generally has a back that is entirely rufous in colour or has a small amount of green. More

Rufous Hummingbirds in Michigan The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is native to the western U.S. and Canada, breeding primarily in the northern Rocky Mountains and Cascades from Montana and Oregon north to the Alaska panhandle, and migrating to southern Mexico. A small proportion of the population (representing hundreds of birds at least) winter in the Gulf States, and virtually every eastern state has at least one record of this species. More

Like a sumo wrestler, the rufous hummingbird must rapidly gain weight and keep it on, despite extraordinary physical exertion. Weighing in at a little more than a penny, it must double its body weight in order to fuel its migration from breeding groundsrange map in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska to northern California) to wintering grounds in central Mexico. More

Rufous Hummingbirds are migratory hummingbirds which breed from the Pacific Northwest clear up into Alaska. They winter in the Yucatan down in Mexico and this means that they make a tremendous migration every year. Some Rufous Hummers have been found to fly as much as 12,000 miles during a round-trip migration. Compare that to a Canada Goose, which most of us think of as a migratory bird: many of them only migrate a few hundred to a couple of thousand miles in a year. More

Rufous Hummingbirds are common migrants from late June to August in the West. Some winter along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana, where they are the most common winter hummingbird. Vagrants have been recorded in all of the eastern states and provinces as far north as Nova Scotia, with most sightings occurring in November and December. The species migrates northward entirely along the Pacific Coast. Rufous Hummingbirds migrate very early in spring, arriving in Oregon by early March and Alaska by mid-April. More

greedy after banding one Rufous Hummingbird, we took down the mist net and the trap, re-hung the hummer feeders, and bid fond farewell to Nellie and Clayton Land with thanks and full expectation we would would visit much earlier next year to catch and band their anticipated new crop of winter vagrant hummingbirds. More