Hummingbird Identification

There are 22 hummingbird species found in the United States and 340 types that live in the Western Hemisphere. These birds are tiny, with most in the range of less than three inches in length and weighing less than an ounce. All hummingbirds are acrobatic fliers, moving their wings as fast as 60 beats per second and having the uncanny skill of being able to fly in every direction---even backward.

  1. Ruby throated

    • The ruby-throated hummingbird has a huge range compared to other American species, living in half the country from the Midwest east. Its back and top of the head are emerald green and the males have a ruby reddish throat patch. This bird has a curve that turns down a bit and is very slender. The wings are short, and an observer will see that they fail to reach the tail when the bird is at rest.

    Rufous

    • The rufous hummingbird of the western quarter of the nation has aggressive behavior toward other hummingbird species, and it will attack those that are larger without fear. Its colors have an iridescent quality, and the males possess a bright red throat and an orange belly and back. The females have rusty colored sides and streaks of rufous on the tail. They are green in the upper parts and many have an orange splash of color on the throat.

    Calliope

    • The calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird in all of North America, weighing just a tenth of an ounce. It lives in the northwestern region of the country from Washington State south to mid-California. The calliope hummingbird male has a red and white streaked throat and green upper parts. The female is also green above but her throat has a dull white hue and the belly is white or cinnamon colored.

    Black-chinned

    • The black-chinned hummingbird has a very similar range as the rufous does, living in the west. The bird is a metallic green color on top, with gray and white below. Males give the species their name. They have a black throat that has a slender purple area below, but people can only see it if the lighting is perfect. Three of the outer tail feathers in the females have white tips.

    Anna's

    • A species called Anna's hummingbird has feathers at the base of its throat that somewhat jut out from the other feathers surrounding it. The sides, back, and posterior are a bronze shade of green and the forehead and throat is reddish. The males have a habit of going high into the air and diving straight down at an object before pulling up at the very last moment. This hummingbird is a resident of the West Coast and Southwest states.