Hummingbirds of the United States – Overview

The United States has about 17 regularly occurring hummingbird species, with most diversity concentrated in the West and Southwest and a single widespread breeder in the East. From coastal chaparral and desert canyons to mountain meadows, riparian corridors, and suburban gardens, these habitats support both resident hummingbirds and long-distance migrants that link the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, and Central America.
In the United States, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds move between eastern forests and backyard feeders during migration, western species such as Black-chinned and Costa’s Hummingbirds use arid scrub and desert washes, and high-elevation visitors like Broad-tailed and Calliope Hummingbirds rely on mountain meadows and open conifer forests, while rarer visitors such as Berylline Hummingbird occasionally reach the southern borderlands.

Threatened and migratory hummingbirds of the United States

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is currently listed as Near Threatened, with concerns focused on population declines linked to habitat change and climate-driven shifts in flowering and migration timing along its long-distance route between Mexico and the northwestern United States and Canada. Migratory species such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus), Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope), Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae), Berylline Hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina), and Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) highlight how hummingbird conservation in the United States is closely tied to protecting breeding, wintering, and stopover habitats across a broad geographic range.

Anthony has photographed all 17 hummingbird species that occur regularly in the United States, from widespread backyard visitors to more localized borderland and montane specialists. The first section highlights the hummingbirds photographed in the United States, and the second showcases additional species from the country that he has documented elsewhere, building a more complete picture of the nation’s hummingbird fauna.

Major hummingbird habitats in the United States

• Western mountains and meadows – Broad-tailed, Calliope, and other high-elevation species using open conifer forests, flowering meadows, and montane valleys in the Rockies and other western ranges.

• Deserts, canyons, and arid scrub – Costa’s, Black-chinned, and other hummingbirds using desert washes, canyons, and arid shrublands in the Southwest and along the Mexican border.

• Woodlands, riparian corridors, and eastern forests – Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and other species using forest edges, riverside vegetation, and wooded suburbs, especially in the eastern and central United States.

• Gardens, feeders, and suburban landscapes – many U.S. hummingbirds visit native plantings, ornamental gardens, and nectar feeders in towns, cities, and rural communities across the country.

Planning a hummingbird trip

If you are interested in traveling with Anthony, joining a small-group hummingbird-focused tour, or reading detailed trip reports about the species and regions he has worked in, be sure to visit the Travel with Me page and the Hummingbird Expeditions section of the blog to explore current opportunities and past expeditions.

Hummingbird species Anthony photographed in the United States

The hummingbirds listed in this section were photographed in the United States during Anthony’s fieldwork. Together, they provide a firsthand look at the diversity of the nation’s hummingbird community across different regions, elevations, and habitats.