Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Caprimulgiformes / Trochilidae · Western North America, long-distance migrant · first seen August 2025 · 8 sightings

Rufous Hummingbird hunting along a shoreline — Late spring, rising light.

The rufous hummingbird doesn’t get the attention it deserves, probably because it’s too common in some places and too remote in others.

Perch posture is half the ID. A rufous hummingbird hunched, a rufous hummingbird alert, and a rufous hummingbird in the wind look like three different birds.

My images for this species are all made with available light. I don’t use fill flash in the field.

I’ve had good looks during fall migration on ridges and less consistent luck at coastal stopovers.

Anyway: not a rare bird, not a hard bird, but one I want on every trip.