Rufous Hummingbird

FUN FACTS

  • At least 50 records exist for Rufous Hummingbird in Wisconsin; an additional 12 records exist for Selasphorus species hummingbird
  • Second most common hummingbird species occurring in Wisconsin (rare but seen annually )
  • Most common winter “vagrant” in the eastern United States
  • Has the longest migration route of any U.S. hummingbird
  • It holds the record for the longest recorded migration of any hummingbird–3,500+ miles!
  • The most widely distributed hummingbird in North America
  • Has been observed in every state except Hawaii
  • Reaches the northernmost latitude of any hummingbird (61° N)
  • Breeds from southeast coastal Alaska Coastal, through Prince William Sound, south Yukon, British Columbia,  Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho (north panhandle to east-central), western Montana, and northern California
  • Winter diet consists of nectar and dormant insects gleaned from leaves, needles and bark
  • Are cold hardy, surviving periods of cold involving 10 to -20° F weather (claim supported by observations and recaptures of and by the most experienced hummingbird banders in North America)