WhenToBird

Selasphorus rufus · Trochilidae

When Do Rufous Hummingbirds Arrive in Alaska?

Adult male Rufous Hummingbird
Photo: Sandra Keller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Alaska in the second week of April, peak in the second week of July (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 5.0% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.2% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.8% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.3% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.3% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.5% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.0% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.2% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.7% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.8% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.4% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.2% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 3442 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Alaska that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wrangell City and BoroughBest early July · 68 checklists that week, 2,509 in all31%
  2. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census AreaBest mid June · 104 checklists that week, 2,822 in all28%
  3. Ketchikan Gateway BoroughBest mid April · 111 checklists that week, 4,641 in all27%
  4. Hoonah-Angoon Census AreaBest late June · 330 checklists that week, 8,159 in all23%
  5. Haines BoroughBest early May · 23 checklists that week, 1,690 in all21%
  6. Juneau City and BoroughBest the second week of July · 702 checklists that week, 30,475 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Preachers PondKenai Peninsula Borough, best late June · 62 checklists that week, 576 in all73%
  2. Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage AreaAnchorage Municipality, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 403 in all52%
  3. Radenbough CoveKetchikan Gateway Borough, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 790 in all52%
  4. Ward LakeKetchikan Gateway Borough, best mid May · 32 checklists that week, 619 in all48%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Rufous Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 6.7% of 9751 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 17236 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 24936 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 30139 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 30866 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 1.5% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 1.4% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0.1%0%0.1%
February0%0.1%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April0.6%1.6%3.2%4.8%
May5.3%4.3%3.5%3.5%
June3.1%3.0%3.2%3.7%
July5.6%4.8%4.4%3.7%
August2.5%2.2%2.0%0.7%
September0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0.1%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of March, 4 weeks earlier than Alaska
  • Oregon: arrives early March, 5 weeks earlier than Alaska
  • Idaho: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Alaska
  • Montana: arrives late April, 2 weeks later than Alaska

Common questions

When do Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Alaska?
Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Alaska in the second week of April, peak in the second week of July (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Rufous Hummingbirds leave Alaska?
Most Rufous Hummingbirds have left Alaska by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid August.
When is the best time to see a Rufous Hummingbird in Alaska?
The Rufous Hummingbird is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 5.0% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Rufous Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, Wrangell City and Borough, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, and Ketchikan Gateway Borough have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rufous Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).