what types of hummingbirds do we see in the united states?

Photos, information and identification tips of the common types of hummingbirds in the United States.

Most hummingbird types visit here during the summer months and then fly south for the winter. Some Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds live all year on the west coast.

The well-known Ruby-throated Hummingbird lives all parts of the eastern United States during the warm months. They fly south to Mexico and Central America for the winter.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, male

15 types of hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are the most amazing little birds. They bless us by coming to our flowers and feeders. We enjoy their beautiful colors and flying antics.

ruby-throated hummingbird

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the most widespread hummingbird seen in the United States. They are common from east Texas to Florida and up the eastern states into south Canada.

The Ruby-throat gets its name from the male's ruby-red gorget, his throat.

The male is pictured above. In the sunlight his throat glistens a gorgeous red. Without direct sunlight, his throat will look almost black.

The top of his head, sides and back also have iridescent feathers that glisten green in the sunlight. Out of the sun his colors look dark.

His primary wing feathers and tail are dark. There is a notch in the center of his tail. The beak and legs are dark.

Just below his ruby throat, the top part of his chest is white before a light-colored belly. In front of the tail, there are small white feathers on his bottom.

Ruby-throated female hummingbird

The female Ruby throated Hummingbird has a whitish throat and chest. Sometimes there are fine speckles on her throat. Her head and back are iridescent green like the male Ruby-throat.

The female's tail, large wing feathers, beak and legs are also dark.
The tips of her tail feathers are white on the outside corners, but it is not notched.

Juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird males look very similar to the females.

But before they grow their entire set of feathers, you can see their white fuzzy bottoms, identifying them as youngsters.

where do the ruby-throats nest?

The female Ruby-throated Hummingbird will look for a horizontal branch about 10' to 40' off the ground. Often the nest will be over water to help them stay cooler.

She spends 6 to 10 days building a nest. The nest will roughly be the size of a ping pong ball. The male does not help with any nest building or baby care.

She builds the nest using small leaves, grass, fur, moss, lichens and spider webs. The spider webs enable the nest to stretch larger as the babies grow.

Ruby-throat feeding babies in the nest.

When the nest is complete, she will lay 2 eggs a 1/2" in size. The eggs will hatch in 12 to 14 days.

The tiny birds are naked and blind when they hatch. They are no larger than a penny. Mom feeds them regurgitated insects and spiders mixed with nectar.

They grow fast and after three weeks they will start exercising their wings on the side of the nest.

After they leave the nest mom will continue to feed them for a few days until they are able to find food on their own.

they head south for the winter

In the fall, August to September depending on exactly where they live, the adults head south for the winter.

The males are the first to make the long trip. The adult females leave later.

The juveniles hang back and eat and then head south weeks after the older hummingbirds have already left.

• It's very important to keep our feeders up late in the fall to feed the migrating Ruby-throats. Keep their feeders up at least until the end of September.

• Then in the spring March to April, they all fly back to the same area they left in the fall. They remember where the feeders and flowers were from last year.
  

• These tiny birds, just over 3 inches big, fly 500-600 miles south to Mexico or Central America for the winter. Their flight across the Caribbean takes from 18 to 22 hours.

The next spring, they fly the long way back to the area where they were hatched. They return to the same area and sometimes to the same nest and feeders, they used the year before.

rufous hummingbird

Identify the amazing hummingbirds Image

Rufous Hummingbirds true to their name are rufous (a rusty orange color). The male has a bright orange-red gorget. His back, tail and sides are rufous color. They may have some green flecks on their head and back.

The female has rusty color on her sides and under her tail. She has small red to green-gold spots on her throat.

The Rufous Hummingbird is easy to identify because their rusty, rufous color is lacking in most other types of hummingbirds.

You can hear them talking with a loud chirp and chatter when they come to your feeder. They are one of the noisy types of hummingbirds.

They are fairly numerous from Alaska to Mexico and in between. They live from the mountains to the lowlands. Some may winter on the gulf coast. A few have been sighted farther east late in the season.

Hummingbird migration facts are amazing; Rufous migrate up to 2,000 miles.

allen's hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird is one of the types of hummingbirds that are full-time residents in the United States. It lives all year in California. It frequents the coastal foothills.

They look very similar to the Rufous Hummingbird. But the Rufous has a rust colored back and the Allen's has a metallic green back and head.

It has rufous colored sides and a copper-red throat on the male. It has a dark forked tail.

anna's hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird

Male Anna’s Hummingbirds have a flared rose colored gorget, and the same color on his head. This coloring distinguishes it from the Ruby-throated which has only a red colored gorget with a green head.

It is slightly larger than the Ruby-throat and has a bulkier looking body.

The Anna's Hummingbird is a full-time resident in the United States. It is found on the west coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico. In the winter it may range across the southern edge of Arizona to west Texas.

It lives in the lowland gardens and the mountains in the summer. In the winter it moves to the deserts. It often nests in Oak Trees.

Anna’s is one of the types of hummingbirds that like a perch on their feeders, so they can sit to eat.

black-chinned hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbirds are the western counterpart of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

These two types of hummingbirds are similar in appearance except instead of a ruby-throat the males have a black chin and their throat is a beautiful violet.

Their tail is notched and their bill is slightly down curved. The top of their head, back and sides are greenish.

The females also have greenish backs and heads with white chins and under parts. They may have fine specks on their throat. Other than her down curved bill she looks very much like a female Ruby-throat. Her wings are a little bit longer.

They reside from western Montana and Texas to California, including New Mexico and Arizona.

The female builds her nest by herself in trees or large shrubs often in the fork of small limbs. The nest is only about 1 ½” in diameter. She lays 2 eggs that hatch in about 16 days.

When the babies have feathers the mother will often build another nest within sight of the first nest to raise a second set of babies.

What a hard worker, she does it all by herself. But, it is great for keeping the species going.

blue-throated hummingbird

Blue-throated Hummingbird

Blue-throated Hummingbirds are one of the largest type of hummingbirds in the United States. It is around 5 inches, much larger than most of our other types of hummingbirds.

Our other hummingbird types are in the 3 to 4 inch range.

Bother male and female have two white stripes on their face. It has one eyebrow stripe above the eye.  And a smaller, whisker white stripe below the eye.

It has a large blackish colored tail with white corner. The male has a blue throat. Its belly is grey.

It is seen in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and sometimes Colorado.

broad-billed hummingbird

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Broad-billed Hummingbirds are seen in Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, and Mexico.

You can paint this hummingbird with a step-by-step tutorial.

The Broad-bill is one of the types of hummingbirds that come into the United States through Mexico. 

Many hummers have dark bills, but the Broad-bill has a red bill with a dark tip.

The male has a dark metallic green body, but in poor light it will look black. His throat is a beautiful blue.

The female is green above with light gray under parts.

broad-tailed hummingbird

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds breed in the United States from California to Wyoming and south to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

It is frequently seen in the Rocky Mountains and it nests at high altitudes. Some stay the year round in southern Arizona, Texas and some areas of the Gulf Coast.

It looks very similar to the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but they live in different parts of the country, so there is no confusion.

Its crown and back are a dark green. Its sides are greenish. Its broad tail is also greenish. The male has a rose-red throat.

The female has cinnamon on her sides and some spots on her throat.

The male's wings make a loud trilling sound when he is flying; this sound is not heard in other types of hummingbirds.

buff-bellied hummingbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Buff-bellied Hummingbirds are seen fairly often in south Texas. It commonalty nests in south Texas. A few stay the winter in Texas.

Its head, back and upper chest is green. Its belly for which it was named is buff colored.

They have a red bill that is black on the end. It has a rufous colored, forked tail.

The male and females look similar.

How many types of hummingbirds are there?

calliope hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbirds are seen in sub-alpine forests, especially near streams of southern Alberta and British Columbia.

They are fairly numerous in British Columbia through Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada or eastern California.

They however are not seen in the coastal areas, except sometimes on the coast of western Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

They have a shorter bill than some other types of hummingbirds.

They have long reddish purple feathers on their gorget which they are able to flare out. Their white neck shows in between the long gorget feather.

costa's hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird

The Costa's Hummingbird has similar coloring to the violet throat of the Black-chinned.

However the blue-violet gorget of the Costa is flared and his head is the same violet color.

This type of hummingbird is found in desert areas of Nevada, Arizona, and California.

They prefer the dry desert areas and build their nests far from water. They often build their nests in cacti and yuccas.

green violet-ear hummingbird

Green Violet-ear Hummingbird

The Green Violet-ear Hummingbird is one of the types of hummingbirds that is seen less frequently in the United States. It visits Texas and it has been seen in Alabama.

Both male and females look similar. Their entire bodies are a beautiful iridescent green, God's gifts of flying jewels. 

It has a purple-blue patch by its ear and a similar colored patch in the center of its chest.

It has a bluish-green tail. Their bill is slightly down-curved.

It is known to be aggressive and chases other hummingbirds.

magnificent hummingbird

Magnificent Hummingbird

Magnificent Hummingbirds, along with the Blue-throated Hummingbird are the largest types of hummingbirds in the United States.

The Magnificent can get up to 5.35 inches. The Blue-throated can get up to 5.20 inches.

They both have blue throats. However the Magnificent's throat is more blue-green. Its crown is purple and mostly dark looking.

The female has grayish underparts.

Male and female both have a bright white stripe behind their eye, a long bill and a long tail.

They are seen fairly regularly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They breed in these areas. A few have been seen in Utah and Nevada at higher elevations. Some overwinter in Arizona.

white-eared hummingbird

White-eared Hummingbird

White-eared Hummingbirds are a less frequent visitor to the United States.

It lives in Mexico and South America, but sometimes comes to southern Arizona and New Mexico and is seen breeding and nesting there. It is rarely seen in west Texas. 

Their red bill has a black tip.

Both male and female have a white stripe behind the eye.

The male has purplish on its head and chin and a green gorget. The female has greenish spots on her throat.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

Violet-crowned Hummingbirds visit and breed in Arizona and New Mexico. They favor sycamore trees and canyons at low to middle elevations. They often nest near water.

A few have been seen in Southern California. And some have overwintered in Arizona.

The male and females look very similar. They have a red bill with a black tip.

They have a striking white throat and a light colored belly. The top of their head is a violet-blue.

how long do hummingbirds live?

Many hummingbirds live on the average of four to five years. The Ruby throated Hummingbirds may live from seven to nine years, maybe ten.

They come back to the same place each year, mostly to the area where they hatched. They remember where they found their favorite flowers and feeders the year before.

We had a female Ruby-throat in Florida. She would tell me if I didn't have the feeder up in the spring. She would fly around looking in all the window near where her feeder was hanging the year before.

invite the hummingbirds to your garden

A White-eared visiting a Columbine flower.

Flowers for the hummingbirds will bring the hungry hummers to your garden.

Hummingbirds are attracted by red colors. Start out by planting some red flowers to attract them.

But they will feed from any flower color where there is nectar.

They have been seen feeding from orange, pink, purple, lavender, yellow, white and even blue flowers.

They favor trumpet-shaped flowers because they contain more nectar.

feeders are great for attracting hummingbirds

When we don't have flowers, it's fun to put out feeders for the hummingbirds.

Don't put red coloring into their food.

Hummingbird Food Recipe

• Four boiling cups water + one cup white sugar
• Do not use brown sugar.

The sugar content of the hummingbird’s favorite flowers is approximately 25%. So that gives us the perfect proportions for feeding hummingbirds.

Keep the feeders clean and full.

It's best to hang the feeders in the shade, if possible.

When Do We Feed Hummingbirds.

• Put the feeders up in the spring. It's usually April in most areas, farther north it may be a bit later.
• Keep the feeders up late, so the migrating hummingbirds will be able to find food on their trip south.
• Don't stop feeding until we have not seen one hummingbird for at least 2 weeks.
• This normally is by the end of September. In Florida, they may still be around the first part of October.

You are sure to see at least one of these types of hummingbirds where you live.

Plant flowers or put out feeders for the hungry hummers. You will have these beautiful little gifts from God coming to your yard!