Hummingbirds are in Colorado and hummingbirds are also in Denver which is the capital city of Colorado. Hummingbirds in Denver are what we will be discussing in this post as well as hummingbirds in Colorado.
It is always an exciting and intriguing feeling for us birders when we see our sweet little hummers flying around our gardens. These lustrous birds bring so much delight as they fly around and indulge us with their fascinating activities.
Once it’s close to hummingbird season, we hummingbird enthusiast begins to make preparations to welcome our sweet little hummingbirds from their wintering grounds. In Colorado, there are about 4 hummingbird species that are seasonal, and then 7 other species are occasional visitors.
So, if you reside in Denver or Colorado and you wish to have some information on the types of hummingbirds sighted in Denver or Colorado, then you’ve come to the right place because we are all about that in this post.
Hummingbirds In Denver: The Types Of Species In Colorado
There are around 11 species of hummers that can be found in Colorado. These sweet hummers can be classified as residential, seasonal, or rare to Colorado. They can be classified as resident species, seasonal species, rare or accidental species of hummingbird.
- Residential species of hummingbird in Colorado: in Colorado, there aren’t any hummingbird species under the residential species of hummingbird.
- Seasonal species of hummingbird in Colorado: there are about 4 seasonal species of hummingbird here. They include Rufous hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Broad-tailed hummingbird, and Calliope hummingbird.
- Rare or accidental hummingbirds in Colorado: there have been around 7 rare or accidental species of hummingbird found here. They are Anna’s hummingbird, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Costa’s hummingbird, Rivoli’s hummingbird, White-eared hummingbird, Broad-tailed hummingbird, and Blue-throated Mountain Gems.
So, below are more details on the types of hummingbirds found in Colorado:
1. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Broad-tailed hummers are the most commonly sighted in Denver or Colorado. Their arrival date starts as early as March. However, the bigger population of Broad-billed hummers is usually sighted around April.
Then their departure period is around the middle of August. However, you may still notice a few Broad-billed hummers flying around as late as November.
This hummingbird species often favors higher elevation for their habitats. They tend to breed in a high meadow and open woodlands between 5,000 to 10,000 feet elevation in the West Mountains around May and August between Central Idaho, northern Wyoming, southern Montana, and south to California.
Then their migration is usually to southern Mexico for winter. However, a couple of Broad-billed hummers may remain on the Gulf of Coast.
2. Black-chinned Hummingbird
This species of hummingbird is seasonal species to Denver or Colorado and is commonly sighted around summer. They arrive in April, then depart from late August and September.
This hummingbird species prefers to breed inland in western states from British Columbia to Baja California during summer. Then after breeding it’s possible for them to move higher mountain areas that have bountiful flowers before they migrate to western Mexico, southern California, and the Gulf Coast in the winter.
Black-chinned migration often occurs around March and September.
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3. Rufous Hummingbird
Rufous hummingbirds are generally visitors to Colorado, especially during summer. This hummingbird species may only stay for a short period and they don’t usually arrive in good numbers until late June or July. Then they depart around late August or September.
Rufous hummers tend to breed in northwest Alaska and migrate down to Mexico and the Gulf Coast for winter. Then they migrate north along the Pacific Coast in spring and by the Rocky Mountains around late summer and fall.
4. Calliope Hummingbird
This hummingbird species are also visitors and aren’t around for long in Colorado and are usually here around July and August. However, some Calliope hummers may arrive as early as April and some may even linger till October before departing. But the ideal period to sight them here is usually around summer.
This hummingbird species migration is to the Rocky Mountains which is around the Pacific Coast to their breeding locations in Colorado, California, and up northwestern states, British Colombia, and Alberta.
5. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Ruby-throated hummers are rare in Colorado. However, they have been sighted in summer around Denver and Colorado springs.
Migration of Ruby-throated usually takes place during fall between September to Mid-October. However, a few of the Ruby-throated may linger all winter and this is thanks to the hummingbird feeders we usually put up.
These hummingbird species favor places such as flower gardens or woodland edges. Summer is usually the best period for these birds.
These birds also like to build their nest on thin branches and make them out of thistle or dandelion down held together with spider silk.
6. Anna’s Hummingbird
Anna’s hummingbird is another rare or accidental species in Colorado. They have been sighted in the state of Colorado mostly in areas like Denver and this is usually around fall.
7. Costa’s Hummingbird
They are rare species and only a few are sighted in the state every year or so.
8. Rivoli’s Hummingbird
They are accidental species of hummingbirds in Colorado and very rare. They are often sighted in areas such as Denver and Fort Collins.
Mexico and Central America are their residences. However, a couple of these species migrates north into southern Arizona and New Mexico and southwestern Texas.
9. Broad-billed hummingbird
Broad-billed hummer is another rare or accidental species. They have been sighted in Grand Junction in 2020. They are mostly residents year-round in central Mexico as well as the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
10. White-eared Hummingbird
White-eared hummingbirds are a very rare species here. Their nesting and breeding season is usually around March to August in northern and central Mexico or later in July in Arizona.
11. Blue-throated Mountain Gem
This species of hummingbird is a very rare species here. They have only been sighted once in the past decade in Colorado in Bellvue.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds in Denver have been discussed in this post. About 11 species of hummingbirds can be found in Colorado and we’ve listed them out from the above.
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