WhenToBird

Selasphorus rufus · Trochilidae

When Do Rufous Hummingbirds Arrive in Arizona?

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

Rufous Hummingbirds reach Arizona in late June, are common by the second week of July, peak in late August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: late August. First arrivals late June; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 17% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.3% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.3% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.8% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.9% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.2% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.8% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.0% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Navajo CountyBest the second week of August · 376 checklists that week, 18,838 in all39%
  2. Cochise CountyBest early September · 3250 checklists that week, 190,093 in all32%
  3. Coconino CountyBest mid August · 1933 checklists that week, 90,870 in all29%
  4. Apache CountyBest the second week of August · 360 checklists that week, 12,931 in all28%
  5. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid September · 1693 checklists that week, 162,726 in all27%
  6. Yavapai CountyBest late August · 1304 checklists that week, 83,606 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. ParadiseCochise County, best late August · 91 checklists that week, 2,350 in all89%
  2. Miller Canyon Recreation AreaCochise County, best late August · 144 checklists that week, 3,604 in all76%
  3. Red Rock State ParkYavapai County, best mid August · 29 checklists that week, 1,915 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Rufous Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (6.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 4.9% of 38350 checklists6 am: 6.6% of 118786 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 183415 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 187346 checklists9 am: 2.7% of 151342 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 124522 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 4.1% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
February0.3%0.4%0.4%0.7%
March1.6%1.7%2.5%3.2%
April4.3%4.3%3.4%1.5%
May0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.7%
July3.8%6.9%9.2%11%
August13%15%17%18%
September17%14%12%8.8%
October6.0%3.9%2.5%0.9%
November0.5%0.3%0.2%0.3%
December0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives late June, in the same week than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives late June, in the same week than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives late June, in the same week than Arizona
  • California: arrives early March, 15 weeks earlier than Arizona

Common questions

When do Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Arizona?
Rufous Hummingbirds reach Arizona in late June, are common by the second week of July, peak in late August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Rufous Hummingbirds leave Arizona?
Most Rufous Hummingbirds have left Arizona by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Rufous Hummingbird in Arizona?
The Rufous Hummingbird is reported most often in late August, on about 17% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Rufous Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, Navajo County, Cochise County, and Coconino County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rufous Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).