Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus
The Rufous Hummingbird has a much wider distribution than its cousin, the Allen’s Hummingbird, but can be difficult to distinguish. In some areas, such as coastal Oregon, these two are known to hybridize.
When migration distance is compared to bird size, the Rufous Hummingbird is a champion. Researchers call this species a complete migrant; meaning that the entire population moves each season, leaving no bird behind to stay on territory either on the breeding or non-breeding territories. During northward movements in spring, their route hugs the west coast, but when returning south, their route follows a broader, more mountainous route through the Cascade, Sierra-Nevada, and Rocky Mountain ranges.
Rufous Hummingbirds in migration have a well-earned reputation for aggression around feeding stations. Once they show up, they challenge all comers for the right to partake in the human provided bounty. Sometimes this cantankerous attitude is not appreciated by the folks who provide the food source.
Taxonomists regard the Rufous Hummingbird as monotypic (i.e. there are no recognised subspecies).
Most of my meetings with this species have been in the southwestern USA (California, Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico). Each of these were most likely migrating birds. However, a bird I met in northern Idaho in 2005 was probably a bird on its breeding territory.
15 Photos

Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 7:13 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: D3X1998-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 7:13 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: D3X2001-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 13:20 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: D3X2111-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 14:48 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: D3X2171-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 15:29 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X2273-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Female at Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 15:31 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/80 |
File Name: D3X2279-RufousHummingBird |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Captured near Kamiah, Northern Idaho USA 2005-05-27. |
Date Taken: 2005:05:26 16:25 |
Location:
East Kamiah |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 440 mm, f/5.6, 1/20 |
File Name: JCD2535RufousHummingbird |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Bosque del Apache NWR. Near Socorro, New Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:24 17:19 |
Location:
Bosque del Apache NWR |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD_0579RufousHummingbird |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Beatty's Miller Canyon Guest Ranch, East Face of the Huachuca Mountains. Sierra Vista, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2004:09:02 12:05 |
Location:
Miller Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 400 mm, f/9.5, 1/350 |
File Name: JCD_9977RufousHummingbird |
© 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Rio Grande Nature Center near Albuquerque New Mexico 2003-08-22. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:22 16:09 |
Location:
Rio Grande Nature Center |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/350 |
File Name: JCD_0395RufousHummingbird |
© 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: The Springs at Santa Rosa Mountain. Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:12 17:45 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/60 |
File Name: D3X3458-RufousHummingBird |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Lower Rock Creek between Lake Crowley and Round Valley in the Eastern Sierras. Mono County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:09 6:47 |
Location:
Inyo Craters |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: RufousHummingBird_D5X8218 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: I met a female Rufous Hummingbird near the visitor’s kiosk at the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. |
Date Taken: 2022:08:17 11:12 |
Location:
Shoveler Pond |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/8000 |
File Name: RufousHummingbird_8504453-Anahuac.NWR_ |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Selasphorus hummingbirds, such as Allen’s and Rufous Hummingbirds are difficult to differentiate. I’m calling this bird I met at Bandon Marsh (Oregon), a Rufous Hummingbird, but I could be wrong. |
Date Taken: 2022:03:27 14:04 |
Location:
Bandon Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 |
File Name: RufousHummingbird_8507880-BandonMarsh |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Rufous Hummingbird(Selasphorus rufus) |
Description: Selasphorus hummingbirds, such as Allen’s and Rufous Hummingbirds are difficult to differentiate. I’m calling this bird I met at Bandon Marsh (Oregon), a Rufous Hummingbird, but I could be wrong. |
Date Taken: 2022:03:27 14:04 |
Location:
Bandon Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 |
File Name: RufousHummingbird_8507875-BandonMarsh |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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