Life List 114
Visually documented
Rufous Hummingbird
Selasphorus rufus
- First photographed
- July 27, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened
An evolving study
Rufous Hummingbird portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Selasphorus rufus
Overview
The Rufous Hummingbird is a small but famously assertive migrant with one of the longest migrations relative to body size of any bird. Many travel north along the Pacific Coast and return south through the Rocky Mountains.
Identification
Adult males are bright rufous on the back, flanks, and tail with a brilliant orange-red throat, though some have green on the back. Females are green above with rufous flanks and tail bases and often a small orange throat patch.
Range
Breeds from southeastern Alaska and western Canada into the Pacific Northwest. It winters mainly in Mexico, with increasing numbers in the southeastern United States.
Habitat
Forest openings, mountain meadows, stream edges, coastal scrub, gardens, and other flower-rich habitats encountered throughout migration.
Diet
Flower nectar, tiny insects, spiders, and sap from sapsucker wells.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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