Happy Fourth of July! Here in the Arizona Central Highlands, the arrival of rufous hummingbirds coincides each year with the Fourth of July. Not only will our local municipalities be providing fireworks shows, our arriving rufous hummingbirds will provide you with fireworks at your feeders!
Rufous hummingbird behavior is synonymous with words such as aggressive, belligerent, hostile, and territorial. When they show up in your yard they will lay claim to your feeders, and will guard them from all other hummingbirds.
We’ve already received several reports of rufous hummingbirds at feeders, so they are right on schedule. Their appearance is a sign that migration is already underway. The range for this species is expansive. In spring, rufous hummingbirds go as far north as Alaska and they winter as far south as Central America.
Rufous hummingbirds are considered the world’s longest migrator based on body length using the following calculation. If you take the length of a rufous hummingbird, which is about 3.75 inches, and divide it into the distance it migrates, no other bird species migrates further based on size.
Are you as fascinated by hummingbirds as I am? Did you know that hummingbirds only occur in the New World? Did you know that the resting heart rate for a hummingbird is about 1,000 beats per minute? Did you know that there are approximately 366 different hummingbird species in the world?
When I was in Ecuador earlier this year, I was blown away by the fact that there are 133 species of hummingbirds in Ecuador alone! On my trip, I saw 37 hummingbird species, and honestly, I was disappointed as that meant there were 96 species that I didn’t see!
Reviewing my life list in eBird, I have seen 120 hummingbird species (so far!)in a variety of locations including Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, and North America.
Arizona is considered the hummingbird capital of the United States. The Sky-Island Mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona is the best place to see the widest variety of hummingbird species in North America.
Last August, when I was down in Sierra Vista participating in the Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival, I saw thirteen hummingbird species in the Huachuca Mountains. Here in Prescott, I have seen seven different varieties in my yard: Anna’s, black-chinned, broad-tailed, rufous, Costa’s, calliope, and broad-billed.
Would you like to learn more about the wonders of hummingbirds? There is a great opportunity coming up in just a few weeks—the annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival presented by the International Hummingbird Society. The festival is held on the campus of Sedona High School.
To register, go to hummingbirdsociety.org. Activities include hummingbird garden tours, hummingbird banding demonstrations, early morning breakfasts with hundreds of hummingbirds, birding field trips, and a festival dinner.
Additionally, there will be expert presentations on a variety of topics related to hummingbirds, workshops, a hummingbird photography contest, and a hummingbird marketplace filled with vendors.
As you might imagine, we will be in attendance as one of the larger vendors supporting this event. We take hummingbird related products to the event, whether it’s feeders, nesting material, or optical equipment to view hummingbirds.
Earlier this week, Swarovski Optik announced a sale on binoculars and spotting scopes starting July 1st and running through October 31st to celebrate their 75th anniversary of making the world’s finest binoculars.
On a side note, I had a summer tanager in my yard on Monday of this week. I encourage you to be on “the lookout” for unusual bird activity in your yard.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Swarovski and Vortex optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
