Rufous Hummingbirds: Ginger Sprites of the Forest

Maybe I just have a thing for redheads.  I am married to one, after all!  That would explain the great affection and admiration I feel toward the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), the little ginger sprite of the Pacific Northwest.

Rufous Hummingbirds pass through California's San Joaquin Valley twice each year, on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest.  Their northward spring migration takes place during March, April and early May, while their southward fall migration begins as early as late July, and lasts through August and September.
Chasing the wave of blooms, Rufous Hummingbirds show a strong affinity for mountain meadows.  
Observers have noticed a clockwise pattern to the annual migration of the Rufous Hummingbird: the majority of northbound migrants travel through California, but return south later in the summer along the Rocky Mountain chain.  This isn't a hard and fast rule, of course, and here in central California, we stand a fairly good chance of seeing these little gems on both their north- and southward flights.

Earlier this spring, I took some less-than-great photos of a male Rufous Hummingbird visiting a flowering tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) along the Tuolumne River, and also caught glimpses of one visiting my backyard feeders.  But I was delighted to come across a female or immature male individual last week, visiting a gloriously floriferous mountain meadow, high in the Sierras.

Birds of forests and woodlands, Rufous Hummingbirds breed farther north than any other species of hummingbird, and can be found nesting successfully during the brief summer of southern Alaska.

Relative to their body size, Rufous Hummingbirds make one of the longest migratory journeys of any of the world's birds: nearly 4,000 miles, one way, from Alaska to Mexico.  And they fly this route twice each year during their potential 8-year (or more) lifespan!

Even at three inches long, and maxing out at a scant five grams in weight (the equivalent of five paperclips), Rufous Hummingbirds are one of the feistiest species of hummers, often driving away species twice their weight in defense of prime patches of nectar flowers or feeders.

As is the case with all hummingbirds, nectar makes up a large part of the Rufous Hummingbird's diet.  Brightly colored tubular-shaped flowers are tailor-made for hummingbirds, and favorites include penstemons, paintbrushes, sages, Western columbine, scarlet gilia and others.  (I highly recommend planting a variety of nectar-producing flowers to attract all types of hummingbirds to your garden!)  Their high-sugar diet is supplemented by protein from tiny insects, such as midges, gnats, aphids and small spiders.

One of the aforementioned less-than-great photos I took this spring.


Male Rufous Hummingbirds gleam a brilliant copper, with iridescent red throats (called gorgets).  Females and immature individuals are mostly green above, with a rusty wash to their flanks and patches of copper on their rump.  Some male Rufous Hummingbirds have green or mottled green backs, making it nearly impossible to separate them from Allen's Hummingbirds in the field during migration; in these cases, a good look at the spread tail feathers is usually necessary to make a definitive identification.

North American Breeding Birds Surveys indicate that Rufous Hummingbird populations have been suffering a slight but steady decline since the 1960's, and the species is on a watch list that monitors birds at risk of becoming threatened or endangered in the future.

Our only truly "ginger" species of hummingbird, the red-headed Rufous Hummingbird certainly is a stand-out in a family of incredible little birds!

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