Rufous Hummingbird

United States

Jul 17

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

Name Origin:
The genus Selasphorus comes from Greek selas meaning “flame” or “light” and phoros meaning “bearing,” a nod to the iridescent gorgets found in the group. The species name rufus is Latin for “reddish,” referencing the rich rufous plumage in males.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 7.5–9 cm (3.0–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: ~2.5–4.5 g (0.09–0.16 oz)
🌎 Range: Breeds from southern Alaska and western Canada through the northwestern United States; winters in western and central Mexico
🧭 Elevation: 0–3,000 m (seasonal)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Open woodland, scrub, meadows, gardens, and highland forest edge
🧬 Clade: Mellisugini (a.k.a. “bees”)
📊 Status: Near Threatened (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Monotypic — no subspecies recognized.

Species Overview

The Rufous Hummingbird is an energetic, highly migratory species known for its long-distance movements and aggressive behavior. It breeds in temperate forests and mountain meadows across the Pacific Northwest and migrates through the western US to winter in central Mexico. Males are striking with vivid rufous tones and an iridescent red-orange gorget, while females are more subdued but still distinctive.

Male Description:
Bright rufous upperparts and flanks, white breast, and fiery red-orange gorget. The tail is mostly rufous with narrow black tips. Bill is short, straight, and black.

Female Description:
Green above with whitish underparts and cinnamon-buff flanks. Tail has rufous bases and black subterminal bands. May show small throat spots of orange-red.

Habitat & Behavior:
Favors open, flower-rich habitats including forest edges, meadows, and gardens during breeding and migration. Winters in pine-oak woodlands and subtropical scrub. Exceptionally territorial, especially around feeding areas. Its rapid, darting flight and loud wing buzz are diagnostic. Courtship displays include vertical shuttle dives and U-shaped flights.

Conservation Note:
The Rufous Hummingbird is listed as Near Threatened due to a marked and ongoing population decline. Climate change is a major driver, disrupting the timing of flowering along migratory routes and on breeding grounds. Habitat loss, especially of early-successional forest and meadows, compounds the threat. Its long migration makes it particularly sensitive to changes across a vast range. Conservation of nectar corridors and breeding habitats is critical to reversing its decline.