The Rufous Hummingbird ( Selasphorus rufus ) is a small, fiery-orange migratory species that passes through Arizona each spring and fall, often stopping at feeders and flowering desert plants in riparian canyons and mountain foothills. Though it breeds mainly in the Pacific Northwest’s coniferous forests, a few individuals occasionally overwinter in southern Arizona’s milder lowlands if nectar sources remain available. Renowned for its feisty, territorial behavior, the Rufous Hummingbird is one of the first migrants to arrive (typically late March) and one of the last to depart (often into November).
