Arizona gardens are full of life, and hummingbirds are some of the most exciting visitors. With their dazzling colors and speedy flight, they bring energy and beauty to any yard.
Knowing which species are likely to show up makes spotting them even more fun. Get ready to enjoy these tiny, fascinating birds right outside your window!
1. Anna’s Hummingbird
These year-round Arizona residents sport dazzling rose-pink throats that flash brilliantly in sunlight. Males perform spectacular dive displays, soaring up and plummeting down with a distinctive popping sound.
They’re among the most adaptable hummers, thriving in urban settings with feeders and flowering plants. You’ll often spot them perched conspicuously on branches, singing their scratchy songs even in winter.
2. Black-chinned Hummingbird
Summer visitors to Arizona, these hummers have a subtle purple band below their black chins that only appears in perfect light. Females construct remarkable elastic nests that expand as babies grow.
Look for their distinctive hovering style with slightly drooped tails. Throughout Arizona’s mountain canyons and desert washes, they’re frequent backyard visitors, preferring red tubular flowers and reliable feeders.
3. Broad-billed Hummingbird
Jewels of southern Arizona, males flaunt brilliant blue-green bodies and striking red-orange bills. Their wings produce a distinctive whirring sound different from other hummingbird species.
Though primarily Mexican residents, they venture into Arizona’s southern regions during breeding season. Canyon areas around Tucson often host these colorful visitors, who readily approach feeders with their characteristic direct flight pattern.
4. Costa’s Hummingbird
Desert specialists with spectacular purple gorgets that flare out like a mustache on males. They’ve adapted to Arizona’s harshest environments, nesting during winter to align with desert bloom cycles.
Unlike most hummers, they perform unique courtship displays with whistling wingbeats. During summer heat, they may enter torpor to conserve energy, making them less visible in Arizona yards until temperatures cool.
5. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Mountain meadow specialists that arrive in Arizona when highland wildflowers bloom. Males produce a distinctive mechanical trilling sound with their wings during flight, audible before you see them.
Females have remarkable spatial memory, returning to exact feeding locations year after year. In Arizona’s higher elevations like Flagstaff and the White Mountains, these ruby-throated beauties dominate summer feeders before migrating south.
6. Rufous Hummingbird
Fiery orange warriors that migrate through Arizona each fall. Despite their tiny size, they’re notoriously aggressive, chasing away birds triple their size from feeders and flower patches.
They make one of the longest migrations relative to body size of any bird, traveling from Alaska to Mexico. Arizona yards serve as crucial refueling stations during their journey, where their coppery plumage flashes like pennies in the sun.
7. Calliope Hummingbird
North America’s smallest bird sports magenta rays on its throat like streaks of neon paint. These mountain-lovers pass through Arizona during migration, following blooming flowers up and down elevation gradients.
Despite weighing less than a penny, they travel over 5,000 miles annually. Arizona birdwatchers prize sightings of these diminutive travelers, who often visit yards with native penstemons and agastache flowers.
8. Lucifer Hummingbird
Rare visitors to southeastern Arizona, named not for devilish behavior but their ‘light-bearing’ beauty. Males display distinctive curved bills and glowing purple-pink throat patches that contrast with their forked tails.
They prefer the desert scrub habitats near the Mexican border. Lucky Arizona yard-owners in places like Portal occasionally host these uncommon gems, especially when century plants and agaves bloom.
9. Blue-throated Mountain-gem
Giants among hummingbirds, these impressive birds have wingspans twice that of most Arizona species. Their deep humming wingbeats sound more like bumblebees than typical hummers.
Males display stunning sapphire-blue throats that contrast with white facial stripes. Southeastern Arizona canyons host these magnificent birds, where they occasionally visit yards with large feeders and flowering shrubs like salvias.
10. Rivoli’s Hummingbird
Formerly called Magnificent Hummingbird, these regal birds truly earn their previous name. Males sport a dazzling purple crown and emerald throat that flash like jewels in Arizona’s mountain canyons.
They’re among the largest hummingbirds in North America, with deep, resonant wingbeats. Southeastern Arizona yard-owners in places like Madera Canyon sometimes attract these majestic visitors with large, well-stocked feeders.
11. Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Elegant visitors with snowy white underparts and distinctive violet caps that shimmer in sunlight. Their clean color pattern makes them stand out among Arizona’s more colorful hummingbird species.
Primarily Mexican residents, they venture into Arizona’s southern riparian areas. Yards near the Santa Cruz River sometimes host these beautiful birds, who show a preference for large, trumpet-shaped flowers.
12. Allen’s Hummingbird
Often confused with Rufous hummers, these copper-colored beauties make brief appearances during migration. Males perform elaborate pendulum courtship flights, swinging back and forth like tiny aerial acrobats.
They’re coastal specialists making quick stops in western Arizona yards. Sharp-eyed observers might spot their slightly greener backs distinguishing them from their Rufous cousins as they dart between feeders.
13. Berylline Hummingbird
Rare visitors from Mexico with cinnamon-colored tails and emerald-green bodies. Their occasional appearances in southeastern Arizona cause excitement among birdwatchers who track these uncommon visitors.
They prefer mountain canyons with lush vegetation and flowing streams. Arizona yards in places like Ramsey Canyon occasionally attract these beautiful vagrants, especially during late summer when flower resources in Mexico diminish.
14. White-eared Hummingbird
Striking visitors with bold white cheek stripes against emerald-green bodies. They’re primarily Mexican residents that venture into Arizona’s southeastern mountains during summer breeding season.
Their distinctive appearance makes them easy to identify even for novice birdwatchers. Arizona yards in the Huachuca Mountains sometimes host these beautiful birds, who show particular fondness for red penstemons and salvias.
15. Plain-capped Starthroat
Exotic-looking visitors with exceptionally long bills adapted for deep flowers. Despite their name, males display a glittering purple throat patch that catches sunlight like scattered amethysts.
They’re rare but regular summer visitors to southern Arizona. Lucky yard-owners in places like Patagonia occasionally host these magnificent birds, especially those who plant native trumpet-shaped flowers like penstemons.
16. Bumblebee Hummingbird
Exceedingly rare visitors barely larger than actual bumblebees, causing momentary confusion. They’re among the world’s smallest birds, weighing less than a penny with magical rose-colored throats on males.
Only a handful of Arizona sightings exist, creating birding history each time. The southeastern border regions occasionally host these tiny Mexican residents, who might appear at yards with densely-planted flower gardens.
17. Xantus’s Hummingbird
Accidental visitors from Baja California with distinctive cinnamon-colored underparts and white eye-stripes. Their appearance in Arizona represents a significant northward wandering from their limited Mexican range.
Fewer than five confirmed Arizona sightings exist, making them true rarities. Southwestern Arizona yards occasionally make headlines when these vagrants appear, attracting birdwatchers from across the country.