A Tucson Arizona Fascination
The Humming Bird

Hummingbirds really are fascinating creatures. These tiny birds are small, quick, amazingly vocal, spectacularly colorful, and capable of stationary hovering as a result of their supersonic [literally] wing speeds.

Of the over 320 known species of hummingbirds, eighteen call Arizona home. This is good news for bird watchers, especially those who most enjoy observing the entertaining hummingbird. The highly unusual iridescent colors that adorn these birds make them favorites for observation and photography. The only state with more species, in fact, is Texas. Hummingbird watching is very popular in Tucson as well as the rest of Arizona. See the end of this article for some great contacts if this popular hobby is of interest to you.

Some of the hummingbirds you can see in Arizona are listed below along with some of their most prominent, or interesting colors. These birds are very quick, and many are quite similar in size and appearance. This makes it somewhat difficult to distinguish one species from another – even for experienced watchers. If you would like to see detailed photographs, drawings, and read additional identification data for these species, see the end of this article for some excellent information sources.

Amazilia violiceps — Violet-crowned Hummingbird, adults can be 4½" long.
Colors: white, bright blue, violet, red, black, green, and bronze.

Amazilia beryllina beryllina — Berylline Hummingbird, adults can be 4½" long.
Colors: green, brown, iridescent purple, orange, and red.

Amazilia rutila — Cinnamon Hummingbird, adults can be 4½" long.
Colors: cinnamon, iridescent green, orange, red, and black.

Cynanthus latirostris — Broad-billed Hummingbird, adults can be 4" long.
Colors: cobalt blue, emerald green, red, black, steel blue, and gray.

Hylocharis leucotis — White-eared Hummingbird, adults can be 4" long.
Colors: turquoise, green, white, blue-violet, red, black, and bronze green.

Eugenes fulgens — Magnificent Hummingbird, adults can be 5¼" long.
Colors: turquoise, green, violet, purple, white, black, gray, and bronze green.

Lampornis clemenciae — Blue-throated Hummingbird, adults can be 5¼" long.
Colors: bright blue, white, gray, bright green, and bronze green.

Heliomaster constantii — Plain-capped Starthroat, adults can be 5½" long.
Colors: black, red, bronze green, olive green and white.

Calothorax lucifer — Lucifer Hummingbird, adults can be 3¾" long.
Colors: bright magenta, blue-violet, white, and black.

Archilochus colubris — Ruby-throated Hummingbird, adults can be 3¾" long.
Colors: red, white, and black.

Archilochus alexandri — Black-chinned Hummingbird, adults can be 3¾" long.
Colors: black, violet, white, and black.

Calypte anna — Anna's Hummingbird, adults can be 4" long.
Colors: red, and gray.

Calypte costae — Costa's Hummingbird, adults can be 3½" long.
Colors: violet, purpl, white, and gray.

Selasphorus rufus — Rufous Hummingbird, adults can be 3¾" long.
Colors: red, orange, yellow, green, and black.

Selasphorus sasin — Allen's Hummingbird, adults can be 3¾" long.
Colors: red, orange, yellow, green, and black.

Selasphorus platycercus — Broad-tailed Hummingbird, adults can be 4" long.
Colors: red, hot pink, green, white, and black.

Stellula calliope — Calliope Hummingbird, adults can be 3¼" long.
Colors: red, white, green, and gray.

Atthis heloisa — Bumblebee Hummingbird, adults can be 3¼" long.
Colors: red, purple, blue, violet, white, and green.

For more information on southeastern Arizona's hummingbirds, and hummingbirds in general:

Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 5521 • Bisbee, AZ 85603-5521
(520) 432-1388

"HUMMINGBIRD HOBNOB" is an on-line discussion group about hummingbirds and about Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project. It's a great way to share your hummingbird thoughts and experiences with other folks who are sure to appreciate them.

BirdNatural.com - It's all about Birds, Bird Watching, and Birding.

Greg Lasley Nature Photography site: "This web site will be devoted to a variety of nature photography subjects. Actually, I am trying to do two things with this site. First, I am displaying wildlife photography for photography's sake with an eye toward marketing my photography. Secondly, I have a number of things posted of interest to birders and other naturalists, even though the photography may not be stunning."

Historical information, choosing breeders, Hummingbird pictures, and links for clubs and rescues.

"If you're a first-time visitor with a specific question, start with the FAQ, or check the Attracting, Feeders, and About sections. I will try to answer other questions by email, but please browse this site before writing. Don't forget to tell me where you live, or I probably won't be able to help you; 16 species of hummingbird breed in North America, each one is different, and location is the best clue to identification. HTML email might not get past my spam filters, so plain text is best.

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