Selasphorus calliope
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The calliope hummingbird ( kə-LY-ə-pee; Selasphorus calliope) is the smallest bird native to the United States and Canada. It has a western breeding range mainly from California to British Columbia, and migrates to the Southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America for its wintering grounds. The calliope hummingbird is the smallest known long-distance bird migrant, completing migrations twice per year of some 9,000 km (5,600 mi).
It was previously considered the only member of the genus Stellula (meaning little star), but research evidence suggests its existing placement in the genus Selasphorus. The bird was named after the Greek muse Calliope. The calliope is the smallest breeding bird found in Canada and the United States. An adult calliope hummingbird can measure 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length, span 11 cm (4.3 in) across the wings and weigh 2 to 3 g (0.071 to 0.106 oz).
Calliope hummingbirds have glossy green on the back and crown with white underparts. The adult male has wine-red streaks on the gorget, green flanks, and a dark tail. When an adult male is competing for territory or females, the dark red feathers of its gorget distend outwards to create... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Calliope Hummingbird sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 107 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Calliope Hummingbird in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 220 mm in January.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Calliope Hummingbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Calliope Hummingbird sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Glacier National Park (United States, about 10%), Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Calliope Hummingbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Yosemite National Park (107 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
