Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated HummingbirdRuby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Denver

In 3 days <5%

10 Verified sightings at Denver
11,268 In all 56 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to breed. It is the most common hummingbird in eastern North America, having population estimates of about 35 million in 2021.

The ruby-throated hummingbird was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Trochilus colubris. Linnaeus based his description on the earlier account by Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands that had been published in 1729 and that by George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds that had been published in 1743. The type locality is South Carolina. The specific epithet colubris is from the Spanish colibrí meaning "hummingbird". The ruby-throated hummingbird is now placed in the genus Archilochus that was introduced in 1854 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

This hummingbird is from 7... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:10

Costa Rica · 2013

© Albert Lastukhin · XC1101680 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Uncertain0:29

United States · 2020

© Brian Hendrix · XC588003 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording1:15

United States · 2020

© Levi Burford · XC577496 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
2 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
16 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
17 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
20 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
21 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
22 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
23 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
24 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
25 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
26 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
27 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
28 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
29 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
31 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
33 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
37 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
39 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
40 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
43 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
45 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
46 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
47 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
48 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
49 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
50 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
51 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
52 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
53 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
54 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
56 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~10%
6 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Tegucigalpa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Closest Relatives at Denver

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Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
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Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
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Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
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Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
American Robin
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Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
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Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Denver?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 289th most-seen of the 299 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Denver?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Denver on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruby-throated Hummingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Denver the best place to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird?

30th of 30

Of the 30 cities where we can rate Ruby-throated Hummingbird sightings, Denver ranks 30th at under 5%. The best odds are in Orlando (United States, about 20%), Miami (United States, about 20%) and Houston (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Ruby-throated Hummingbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Denver (10 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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