Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Hummingbirds

Male

Color Photograph: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 3.5 inches.

Male: Back rusty-brown. Crown dark green-brown. Lower half of head and chin metallic rusty-red. Bill long and narrow. Underside dirty white with large rusty-brown patches on the sides. Base of wing metallic green (in the right light).

Female: Back and crown of head metallic green, not rusty red. Throat white with vague gray streaks. Tail green with tips of outer feathers white and with rusty-red patches at the base of the tail. Flanks with rusty-red patches.

Similar Species:  There are no similar species in eastern North America.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Rufous Hummingbird breeds along the Pacific Coast from northern British Columbia southward to northern California and westward to Idaho.

Overwintering Range:  This species, unlike other primarily western hummingbird species migrates eastward and southward to the American tropics taking it into the southeastern United States during migration. A few individuals overwinter along the Gulf Coast.

Habitat: The Rufous Hummingbird, during the breeding season, is found in mountain meadows and around the margins of forests.

Food: Nectar and small, flying insects.

Behavior: Hummingbirds, in general, are very active animals, with an extremely rapid wing beat and fast, darting aerial movements. The are able to hover in place or fly backwards. They feed on both flower nectar and small, flying insects. They are particuarly attracted to red. tubular flowers. Hummingbird feeders are colored and shaped to simulate this flower form. Despite their small size, these birds make long distance migrations in the fall and spring to and from the American tropics. During courtship the female sits on a perch watching a male dance in a ovate circle near her.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 white eggs. The eggs are laid in a cup constructed of plant down glued together with spider silk and covered on the outside with small pieces of lichen. The nest is attached to a tree limb or branch.