West · Central Flyway
Hummingbirds in Colorado
Hummingbirds in Colorado come down to 6 species with regular eBird records, led by the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Together they account for 262,736 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 1.6% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in North America and the only ones that routinely hover. They feed on flower nectar and small insects, and almost every species is migratory, so which hummingbirds you see — and when — depends heavily on where you live.
Hummingbirds in Colorado: every species, most-reported first
Every hummingbird with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) — 183,917 records, 1.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in July.
2. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) — 47,652 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in August.
3. Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) — 23,693 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in July and August with a peak in August.
4. Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) — 7,232 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in July and August with a peak in August.
5. Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) — 171 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in October with a peak in October.
6. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) — 71 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in May, August, September and October with a peak in October.
When to see hummingbirds in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hummingbirds are most prominent in August, July and June and least in December and February. None of the 6 species is a year-round resident, so the timing below is everything.
Summer visitors. Broad-tailed Hummingbird arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak July); Black-chinned Hummingbird arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak August).
Passage migrants. Rufous Hummingbird is reported mainly in July and August; Calliope Hummingbird is reported mainly in July and August; Anna's Hummingbird is reported mainly in October; Ruby-throated Hummingbird is reported mainly in May, August, September and October.
Attracting hummingbirds to Colorado backyards
A clean nectar feeder (plain sugar water, no dye) and native tubular flowers are the two things that reliably bring hummingbirds into a yard. Put feeders up a couple of weeks before the first arrivals listed below and keep them up until the last departures.
In Colorado the hummingbird most likely to turn up is the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Hummingbirds in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of hummingbirds are there in Colorado?
6 species of hummingbirds have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
What is the most common hummingbird in Colorado?
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird, with 183,917 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Black-chinned Hummingbird with 47,652. It is a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in July.
When is the best time to see hummingbirds in Colorado?
August, July and June, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to hummingbirds is highest. Summer visitors such as the Broad-tailed Hummingbird arrive around May.
More birds in Colorado
Hummingbirds in other states
Hummingbirds in Colorado: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Colorado records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Trochilidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.