Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Hassayampa River Preserve, Maricopa County

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird was found and photographed by Mary McSparen on 12 July 2018.

Casual in Arizona with seven previously accepted records (likely representing six individuals) with an eighth pending. Six of the seven records are from fall/winter. This is the first Maricopa County record and the only one reported in Arizona from the summer.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed across southern Canada to extreme eastern British Columbia, winter as far north as southern Sinaloa, and are uncommon but regular migrants as far west as the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Identification of female and juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is extremely difficult due to similarity to its congener, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and different hybrid combinations. It is possible that these identification challenges contribute to the scarcity of convincing reports from Arizona.

Identification of adult males, such as this one, and more advanced immature males, is more straightforward. Note the ruby-red gorget, black chin stripe, black eye mask and rich green upperparts. Tail deeply forked with no hint of rufous at the base of the retrices. The bird flew silently with no wing trill, unlike male Black-chinned or Broad-tailed Hummingbird.

12 July 2018, photo by Mary McSparen

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