How much do you know about the hummingbirds that visit your nectar feeder? (Ruby-throated Hummingbird photo by Katy Konrad) A male Allen’s Hummingbird on territory in southern California, where the populations are mostly non-migratory, aside from some altitudinal migration from mountain habitats. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds superficially resemble Ruby-throats, but they are a true Rocky Mountain species during the nesting season. However, the two species may be seen wintering in some of the same areas of southern Mexico.

By the first week of September, hummingbirds are migrating south, refueling their bodies in the mornings, migrating some middays, and feeding during late afternoons to maintain their body weight – powered by flower nectars, minute insects and spiders, and the sugar-water nectar provided by birders across the country. When eastern birders talk about hummingbirds, they are referring to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, usually the only species in the eastern half of the United States. Western birders on the other hand might be referring to one or more of the eight hummingbird species that range in the western half of America: Rufous, Allen’s, Anna’s, Costa’s, Black-chinned, Calliope, Broad-tailed, and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds!

Overall, among the nine species that regularly nest north of Mexico, most prefer Mexico as their wintering range, although a couple species slip farther south into Belize and Guatemala, and Ruby-throats winter from southern Mexico to the edge of Panama.

Now, Ruby-throats are beginning to gather along the Gulf Coast in southern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida in preparation for their remarkable flight south, over the Gulf of Mexico to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, or via an overland route that mostly follows the contour of the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Some western species of hummingbirds migrate south along the Rocky Mountains into Mexico, others follow the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Pacific Coast, or open expanses of the Great Basin. Below is a species by species description of the wintering areas of the nine hummingbird species listed above:

* Ruby-throated Hummingbirds – Wintering from the Pacific Coast of southwest Mexico the Yucatan and beyond to Panama, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have one of the most expansive winter ranges. Also, some Ruby-throats don’t make the flight across the Gulf and winter in southern Florida.

* Rufous Hummingbirds – As early as July some Rufous Hummingbirds may start migrating south through western mountain landscapes. They winter in western and central Mexico from the Pacific to the Gulf, and a scattering of Rufous Hummers winter along the American Gulf Coast as far east as the panhandle of Florida.

* Black-chinned Hummingbirds – Most Black-chins winter from a region of coastal south Texas to an expansive area of Mexico south of Texas that extends to the Pacific Coast.

* Calliope Hummingbirds – Calliope Hummingbirds begin migrating during late summer, southbound through the Rocky Mountains to winter in southwest Mexico.

* Broad-tailed Hummingbirds – Broad-tails migrate south via the Rocky Mountains to their winter range in the highlands of central and southern Mexico. Some migrants may winter in areas where populations of non-migratory Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are resident in central Mexico.

* Costa’s Hummingbirds – Many Costa’s Hummers don’t migrate, especially populations in southern California, Baja Mexico, and desert areas surrounding the northern coast of the Sea of Cortez south of Arizona. However, Costa’s Hummingbirds that nest in parts of Nevada, Arizona, and adjacent Mexico join resident populations in the aforementioned areas, as well as wintering range along the central Pacific Coast of Mexico.

* Anna’s Hummingbirds – Most Anna’s Hummingbirds are not migratory, although some birds in the northern and mountainous parts of Anna’s range move to areas of more abundant food and some migrate into northwest Mexico.

* Allen’s Hummingbirds – Allen’s Hummingbirds have become much more common in many areas of Southern California during recent decades, where they are a mostly non-migratory population. However, Allen’s Hummingbirds that nest along the Pacific Coast from southern Oregon to central California migrate to south-central Mexico.

* Buff-bellied Hummingbirds – Buff-bellied Hummingbirds have been extending their non-breeding range northeastward along the Gulf Coast into Louisiana, but they tend to be non-migratory within their year-round range that extends from southern Texas along the Gulf Coast in Mexico, through the Yucatan and northern regions of Belize and Guatemala.

Please be sure to refer to the impressive range maps provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for each species of hummingbird, along with more information about all North American hummingbird species, including life history descriptions, and photos of each species at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ Insert the name of the species of interest after clicking on the magnifying glass symbol.

Rare Hummingbird Sightings

Some individuals of our nesting species of hummingbirds make unusual flights to the east, especially Rufous Hummingbirds, but individuals of other of the western species show up at feeders in Louisiana, south Texas, and scattered out of the ordinary locations. Backyard birders (all birders) play an important role in reporting rare hummingbird sightings at their feeders, and the possibility of attracting a late or off-course hummingbird is worth keeping your nectar feeders filled after most hummingbirds have migrated south. Keep an eye out for any unusual-looking hummingbirds and be sure to report them when you see them.

Sky Islands Hummingbirds

In addition to most of the hummingbird species listed above, another contingent of hummers spend time along the Mexican border, usually crossing north during summer months into mountains (sky islands) in southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and far western Texas. These birds may include such exciting species as Violet-crowned, Rivoli’s, Lucifer, Broad-billed, and White-eared Hummingbirds, plus the newly named Blue-throated Mountain Gem (formerly the Blue-throated Hummingbird). This amazing group of hummers may also be joined by rare individuals such as a Berylline Hummingbird, Plain-capped Starthroat, or Mexican Violetear to name a few.

You may be interested to review a couple recent lists of hummingbird sightings in Southeast Arizona area: For instance, the Tucson Audubon’s Paton Center for Hummingbirds, formerly the infamous yard of the Wally and Marion Paton, who dedicated their later lives and yard to sharing their enthusiasm for rare and common hummingbirds alike with people from around the world. Over the Labor Day weekend, visitors enjoyed a variety of hummers, including 4 Violet-crowned, 12 Broad-billed, 3 Black-chinned, 1 Costa’s, 1 Anna’s, 2 Broad-tailed, and 1 Rufous Hummingbird. You can check out the live web cam and a host of information athttp://tucsonaudubon.org/go-birding/tucson-audubons-paton-center-for-hummingbirds/paton-center-web-cams/ and get additional information at http://tucsonaudubon.org/go-birding/tucson-audubons-paton-center-for-hummingbirds/

An amazing 10 species of hummingbirds were recently sighted at feeders at the Ash Canyon B&B, located south of the city of Sierra Vista, including 13 Broad-billed, 1 Violet-crowned, 1 White-eared, 1 Rivoli’s, 6 Lucifers, 14 Anna’s, 2 Broad-tailed, 3 Rufous, 8 Black-chinned, and 3 Calliope Hummingbirds; see https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59247313

You can also watch live cam views of a forest of hummingbird feeders at the WoW Arizona patio (Wild Outdoor World of Arizona) in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson at https://video.nest.com/live/dMbCeZJ9dE and watch a short but amazing hummingbird video at http://wowarizona.org/birds/ Last Friday, birders were treated to seven western species of hummingbirds: Rufous, Broad-tailed, Costa’s, Black-chinned, Anna’s, Broad-billed, and Calliope Hummingbirds.

Hummingbird Festivals

You can literally follow the expected peak migration dates of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds across the United States by checking the dates of the Hummingbird Festivals. We provided a full list of the Hummingbird/Birding Festivals in a Birding News article in the August 7th issue. Several of these festivals have already taken place, but the biggest is yet to come, the 31st HummerBird Celebration in the Ruby-throated Hummingbird stopover center that includes the cities of Rockport and Fulton on the Texas Gulf Coast, September 19 to 22, along with the Hummingbird Migration Festival in Holly Springs, Mississippi this weekend, September 6 to 8. Wherever you live or travel, enjoy the hummingbirds that share their exuberance for life with all of us.

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