This Summer, Catch a Kaleidoscopic Variety of Hummingbirds Out West

Everyone knows hummingbirds are special—they can fly backward, dive at 60 mph, and slurp nectar from more than 1,000 flowers a day, after all. But you might not realize hummers are a Western Hemisphere specialty: Every species, all 350-plus of them, lives exclusively in the Americas. Of those, 14 can be found regularly in the western United States and along the country’s southern border. That diversity, paired with the birds’ uncommonly early “fall” migration south, offers chances in summer to catch a dizzying variety of hummingbirds at numerous locations across the West.

While not all western humming­birds migrate, many that do begin their southward journeys in high summer. The early start helps the nectar-drinkers beat the drop-off in blooms that comes with autumn’s cooling weather and shortening days. Male Rufous Hummingbirds, for example, depart their Northwest breeding grounds by the end of June. Females and juveniles follow in July and August, when Broad-tailed and Allen’s Hummingbirds are also on the move. Even Black-chinned Hummingbirds, comparative dawdlers, are largely southbound by August.  

At the right place and time, you can catch a kaleidoscopic display of species, from the tiny Calliope Hummingbird—which weighs about as much as a ping pong ball yet can migrate 5,000 miles each year, from southern Mexico to British Columbia and back again—to the largest hummer in the United States, the well-named Blue-throated Mountain-gem. The West’s impressive hummingbird diversity is due in part to a greater variety of habitats, compared to eastern states. In particular, ample peaks and ranges create a wealth of unique biomes appealing to hummingbirds, stratified by elevation. “They are fundamentally mountain birds,” says Sheri Williamson, an ornithologist and author of A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America in the Peterson Field Guide Series.

To hit the hottest of all hotspots, head to southeast Arizona’s Sky Islands, a series of mountain ranges surrounded by lowland “seas” of desert or grasslands, with a vast array of ecological niches. The arrival of monsoon season in July, sometimes called “second spring,” Williamson says, brings frequent afternoon rains throughout the area and a burst of vegetation and insects—perfect for locally breeding species such as Violet-crowned Hummingbirds. The ideal conditions also draw in early migrants from farther north already passing through, as well as exciting vagrants from south of the border, including Berylline and White-eared Hummingbirds and Plain-capped Starthroats.

While you might encounter a species or two on a hike, for your best shot at hummingbird variety, visit a feeding station—the West has no shortage of possibilities. Some of the best can be found in the Sky Islands. At the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon you can regularly see six to nine species at the feeders, says birding guide and wildlife biologist David Griffin. More excellent options in the area include the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia (free and open to the public), and Beatty’s Guest Ranch, perched at 5,800 feet, which offers shaded “hummingbird bleachers” for close-up feeder views.

Other western hummer hubs worth checking out include Davis Mountains State Park, in western Texas; Cabrillo National Monument, in San Diego; and Estes Park, Colorado, where there are feeding stations throughout town. In some Colorado mountain towns, “you could have, like, 100 Broad-tailed Hummingbirds coming to a feeder station,” Griffin says, as well as significant numbers of Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned.

Want company? You can convene with other hummingbird lovers to enjoy workshops and field trips held throughout the summer. In Arizona alone, options include the Sedona Hummingbird Festival (July 25–27), Southwest Wings in Sierra Vista (July 30–August 2), and the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival (August 6–10), organized by the Tucson Bird Alliance, a local Audubon chapter.

And if sheer volume of hummingbirds is the experience you’re after, the migration of the country’s sole eastern species, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, is also spectacular. To catch Ruby-throats on their Gulf Coast–hugging journey south, head to the HummerBird Celebration in Rockport, Texas (September 18–21). While short on variety, “you can see tens of thousands of hummingbirds if you hit it right,” Williamson says.

This story originally ran in the Summer 2025 issue as “Have a Hummer Summer.” To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today.