WhenToBird

Selasphorus rufus · Trochilidae

When Do Rufous Hummingbirds Arrive in Colorado?

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

Rufous Hummingbirds mostly pass through Colorado: the first show up in early July, they are common by the second week of July, peak in early August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: early August. First arrivals early July; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 14% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junrare
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.4% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.4% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. La Plata CountyBest the second week of August · 594 checklists that week, 21,744 in all43%
  2. San Miguel CountyBest early August · 226 checklists that week, 8,094 in all31%
  3. Archuleta CountyBest late July · 382 checklists that week, 10,365 in all30%
  4. Teller CountyBest the second week of August · 339 checklists that week, 11,258 in all30%
  5. Custer CountyBest early August · 90 checklists that week, 3,017 in all29%
  6. Dolores CountyBest early August · 39 checklists that week, 2,000 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. NorwoodSan Miguel County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 1,247 in all97%
  2. North Cheyenne CanyonEl Paso County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 673 in all84%
  3. Tinker-Shaffer Reservoir (historical)Jefferson County, best early August · 178 checklists that week, 9,735 in all79%
  4. Lake QuiviraClear Creek County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 1,149 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Rufous Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 5.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 3.2% of 159189 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 141029 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.6%
July2.4%6.6%11%14%
August14%14%12%9.4%
September6.4%3.8%2.3%0.8%
October0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Arizona: arrives late June, 1 week earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Colorado?
Rufous Hummingbirds mostly pass through Colorado: the first show up in early July, they are common by the second week of July, peak in early August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Rufous Hummingbirds leave Colorado?
Most Rufous Hummingbirds have left Colorado by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Rufous Hummingbird in Colorado?
The Rufous Hummingbird is reported most often in early August, on about 14% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Rufous Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, La Plata County, San Miguel County, and Archuleta County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rufous Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).