The Rufous Hummingbird is a small hummingbird that measures about three inches in length. The male is mostly rufous (reddish-brown) with white or buffy underparts. He is readily identified by its bright red gorget (throat). The female is mostly bronze-green with white underparts. Females are slightly larger than males and may have some red feathers about the white throat.

Diet: The Rufous Hummingbird gets its energy from flower nectar, tree sap, and some small insects. They are easily attracted to feeders.

Habitat: The Rufous hummingbird breeds primarily in western forests and wooded parks. In migration, however, it can be found in meadows and suburban areas.

Range: This hummingbird breeds throughout the Pacific Northwest region of North America, from southern Alaska to northern California. No other hummingbird in the world breeds farther north than the Rufous. In fall, it migrates throughout the western United States and Mexico. Most Rufous hummingbirds winter in central and southern Mexico, though increasing numbers of these birds turn up in the eastern United States and Gulf Coast during the fall and winter months. This tend is thought to occur because of the increase in hummingbird feeders availability in these regions. Birds that breed in Alaska migrate nearly 4,000 miles to southern Mexico.

Nesting: Female Rufous Hummingbirds lay two white eggs in spring. Most are placed in the middle heights of evergreens. The nest is usually made of plant down, lichens, bark, and spider web. Occasionally, colonies of up to twenty nests will be found in a single location.

Status: Thought to be declining in much of its range.