Rufous Hummingbird Images (Selasphorus rufus)

Information: Cornell’s page on Rufous Hummingbirds

Identification: The id’ing of a Rufous is a difficult one. In general the photos above says it all however there is one small problem and that is the very similar Allen Hummingbird. There are two methods of identifying a Rufous vs. an Allen. One is location most Allen hummingbirds actually are coastal birds and is rarely seen on the coast of Oregon but often seen on the coast of California. The rufous is both costal and inland migrating all the way up to Alaska and as deep into the states as Montana and Utah. The second method is shown below (if you live in costal areas) You count the tail feathers in until you get to the fourth, on the rufous it has a very slight notch in it which does not exist on an Allen. (see below photo) I imagaine that the only means of properly identifying it is to gain a photo or actually catch it.

And lastly, female Rufous Hummingbird in flight…