These tiny birds are popular with both the general population and birders and their incredible diversity in southeast Arizona highlights how special this area is for birding.
Year-round Hummingbirds
Anna’s Hummingbird
Any hummingbird feeder hung in urban Tucson probably has a resident Anna’s Hummingbird defending it from all intruders. This beautiful hummer is a common sight in back yards all over the city and the male’s striking rosy-pink flashing head plumage is a compelling reason to keep your feeders full of nectar. In the first half of the twentieth century this bird’s breeding range was largely limited to the southwestern portion of California. Then as the century progressed parks and gardens were planted and the birds steadily expanded their range north into Oregon and east into Southern Arizona. Some Anna’s Hummingbirds live in Tucson year-round but from Dec-May their numbers increase as additional birds arrive to nest and take advantage of the abundant flowers and feeders our yards provide. This time of year you may also witness the spectacular courtship display of the male Anna’s Hummingbird right in your yard. The male flies to a high point above an available female and then dives straight down and suddenly pull up right over her and create an explosive popping sound. It has recently been shown that this sound is actually being made by special feathers in the bird’s tail that produce this sound when air passes over them at just the right velocity. It is an amazing thing to witness and will be happening all over Tucson all winter and early spring.
Spring Hummingbirds in Arizona
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are set apart from other species by their ability to thrive in multiple habitats. They are abundant in the spring and summer in southeast Arizona in riparian areas, canyons, oak woodlands and urban areas. Their adaptability does not extend through the seasons; by the end of October nearly all of them have left southern Arizona and begun their migration south. They work their way through central Mexico and spend the winter mainly on the southwest coast of Mexico, concentrated in the low elevation areas adjacent to the beach. Sounds like a nice place to spend the winter!
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Primarily a riparian habitat hummingbird, these birds can also do well in lush urban spaces within Tucson and Phoenix. In good habitat they are common in the spring and summer and some will remain throughout the winter in certain places. These are stunning birds, even for hummingbirds. The males are bright blue and green, females have prominent white eyebrow and both have large blue tail and red bill. They love bio-rich yards with nectar producing flowers such as aloe and will use hummingbird feeders.
Costa’s Hummingbird
The male Costa’s Hummingbird has an iridescent purple face with prominent “mustache” feathers on both sides. The female has gray front and green back and it’s very short tail helps separate her from other similar looking female hummingbirds. Costa’s is a very small hummingbird and the males can be very aggressive with each other. They are primarily desert habitat hummingbirds but will use urban areas as well. They can be seen year round with elevation shifts and are most abundant in the spring. If you have a lush yard near desert habitat with feeders and nectar producing plants such as chuperosa you may be able to tempt them into your yard.
Summer Hummingbirds of Southeast Arizona
Summer brings many changes to SE Arizona. The temperatures soar, our human population dips to a low point for the year and humidity rises. This increased humidity leads to SE Arizona’s iconic monsoon period and it rains nearly every afternoon in July and August. This causes our Sky Island region to bloom with a “second spring” and creates a hummingbird paradise.
In Tucson and the surrounding region hummingbirds can be found all year but there are some species that can only be found during the summer and in very specific places. It is well worth the time and travel to seek out these splendid species. Here are some of our specialty hummingbirds that can be sought during our summer months:
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have a lovely pink throat and make a loud cricket-like trill with their wingtips as they fly that is also used in territorial defense and courtship displays. The display is a series of high climbs, dives, and hovers. As the feathers wear, the trill is softened, until it is completely inaudible by mid-winter. In the summer these hummingbirds are found in higher elevation forests in northern Arizona or at the tops of mountains in southern Arizona.
Blue-throated Mountain Gem
This large hummingbird has a subtle beauty where the male has an iridescent blue patch on this throat. Both the male and female have a bold white eyebrow and wide tail with white tips that they spread frequently in flight. They both also have a very loud and distinctive seep call note. The most reliable place to find these birds is in the Chiricahua Mountains at the Southwestern Research Station near the town of Portal, AZ. They are frequent visitors to the hummingbird feeders that are available for the public to enjoy at this location.
Rivoli’s Hummingbird
Until recently, known as Magnificent Hummingbird, these birds are also large for a hummingbird and males have an overall dark appearance. In the perfect light the male’s head blazes with a rich purple crown and iridescent teal green throat. The female is more modestly dressed with the standard green back and gray front but her large size and white spot behind the eye are distinctive. These hummingbirds can be found in several of our mountain ranges in summer including Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalinas and at the feeders of the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains.
Lucifer Hummingbird
With a brilliant purple throat, curved bill and long, forked tail it’s no wonder this small hummingbird’s name means “light bearer” in reference to its dazzling beauty. The female is also quite lovely with a thin white eyebrow, peach wash on her flanks and belly. Preferring dry canyons with thorn scrub vegetation, ocotillo and agave, one of the most reliable locations to find them during the summer is the Ash Canyon B & B at the base of the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista. The feeders and garden at this establishment are open to the public with a requested donation.
White-eared Hummingbird
Over the last few years this species has been harder to find in SE Arizona but there are usually a few to be found during our summer months. When they are found in the US these small hummingbirds favor lush canyons of our Sky Island Mountains. Both the male and female have a bold white stripe behind the eye and red bill with a black tip. The male also has an intense purple iridescence on his face and green on his lower throat. At first glance it is easy to confuse the female White-eared Hummingbird with a female Broad-billed but the rarer hummingbird can be identified by her much broader and bolder white face stripe as well as her darker black stripe under her eye. Miller Canyon of the Huachuca Mountains has been the most likely location for these birds the last few years but there are past records for Madera Canyon and even Mount Lemmon. We will all have to wait and see if any come to SE Arizona this summer.
Plain-capped Starthroat
As a relative newcomer to our hummingbird scene in SE Arizona, this rare hummingbird in the US has been regularly seen in small numbers over the past few summers with most sightings coming from Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. This is another large hummingbird and both the male and female have pale under parts and bronzy olive colored backs. The male has a modest patch of carmine red iridescence that can only be seen in the perfect light. They can be easily confused with female Magnificent Hummingbirds but their distinctive blaze of white on their lower back sets them apart.
If you are in SE Arizona during the summer monsoon season the payoff for braving the high temperatures are the abundant hummingbirds taking advantage of the monsoon nectar and insect boom. This is the time to see the most hummingbird species and when our rare hummers of summer make their appearances in SE Arizona.
Migratory Hummingbirds
Some species of hummingbird will pass through Arizona on migration from the wintering grounds to their nesting grounds north of Arizona in the spring. Then during the late summer and fall we may see them again as they pass through from their nesting grounds back to their warmer wintering grounds.
Rufous Hummingbird
This small, coppery colored hummingbird is extremely aggressive to other hummingbirds and will often dominate a feeder or patch of flowers. Both males and females will defend a food resource and chase off any other hummingbird that tries to feed. They don’t nest in Arizona but will sometimes be seen migrating north from their wintering grounds in Mexico. The majority of these birds travel along the Pacific coast in the spring and then further east when they travel south again, so birders in Arizona are most likely to see them in late July-September during our monsoon driven bloom. They nest as far north as Alaska and have one of the most spectacular migration routes among birds – up to 4,000 miles one way!