5 Hummingbirds in Wyoming: How to Identify and Attract Every Species
September 24, 2026
Wyoming might seem like an unlikely place for hummingbirds, given its long winters and high-elevation terrain, but the state hosts a surprising variety of these tiny fliers every summer. Hummingbirds in Wyoming range from common mountain breeders to accidental visitors that stray far outside their normal range. Whether you are hanging your first feeder or trying to tell a Rufous from a Broad-tailed at a glance, knowing what to look for makes all the difference.
Of the seven hummingbird species ever documented in the state, five are the ones birders and backyard hosts are most likely to encounter or hear about. University of Wyoming researchers note that three species of hummingbirds regularly breed in Wyoming during the summer, with the broad-tailed hummingbird seen in the highest numbers in the state.
This guide breaks down each of the five species you’re most likely to spot, along with practical tips for bringing them to your own yard.
| Species | Typical Arrival in Wyoming | Relative Size | Status in Wyoming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | First week of May | Small | Occasional breeder, species of greatest conservation need |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | Mid-to-late April | Medium | Most common breeding species |
| Rufous Hummingbird | Late June through mid-September | Small | Near-threatened migrant |
| Calliope Hummingbird | First week of May | Smallest in North America | Species of greatest conservation need |
| Rivoli’s Hummingbird | Rare, June to July | Large | Accidental/vagrant |
If you’re wondering when do hummingbirds arrive in Wyoming, the answer depends on the species: Black-chinned and Calliope Hummingbirds typically arrive in Wyoming around the first week of May, Broad-taileds by the end of April, and Rufous mainly appear as late-June through mid-September migrants, with most birds departing by late September.
Pro Tip: A simple 4-to-1 sugar-water mix with no red dye, changed every 1–2 days in hot spells or every 3–5 days in cool mountain weather, plus native plants like penstemons, columbines, wild bergamot, and hyssop, will reliably attract hummingbirds to Wyoming yards. For more ideas on plants and feeder placement, see this guide on what attracts hummingbirds to a yard.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
The black-chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is the western counterpart of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. In Wyoming, this species is more of an occasional visitor than a guaranteed summer resident. According to University of Wyoming ornithologist research, black-chinned hummingbirds are occasionally seen in Wyoming near streams and rivers, favoring the lower, warmer corridors of the state’s southern and eastern regions.
Males are identified by a handsome scarlet gorget and a black chin strap which distinguishes it from the Anna’s and Broad-Tailed hummingbirds. They can also be territorial: this species is an aggressive species which makes it an unwelcome guest among hummingbird feeders. Away from feeders, black-chinned hummingbirds are highly adaptable and can be found in a wide range of habitats.
- Mountain and alpine meadows, canyons with thickets, orchards, urban areas, and recently disturbed areas
- A distinctive hum from their wings that sounds similar to a bee, often heard before the bird is seen
- High-pitched ticks and chips used for communication
Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists consider this one of the state’s more sensitive species. During a 2021 hummingbird banding project near Dayton, researchers noted that three female and one male black-chinned hummingbird, a species normally found in the southwest corner of Wyoming, were banded, and both black-chinned and calliope hummingbirds are Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming.
If you’re comparing regional populations, black-chinned hummingbirds are also a familiar sight farther west; see how they show up in Nevada and Idaho, two states along their broader western range.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
If you see a hummingbird in Wyoming, there’s a good chance it’s a broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus). This is the state’s signature breeding species, and University of Wyoming researcher Ernest confirms it is the broad-tailed hummingbird, which is seen in the highest numbers in the state during summer.
Broad-taileds are early arrivals compared to most other hummingbirds in the region. Field observations from the Wind River Canyon show males showing up while the days of May are warm in Wyoming, even while nights remain in the low 40s with deep snow still in the high country. They favor high terrain, and according to research summarized by Cowboy State Daily, broad-tailed hummingbirds are summer visitors to Wyoming’s higher elevations, where males perform dramatic aerial displays during courtship, and their wings produce a metallic, cricket-like trill in flight.
Broad-tailed hummingbirds are closely tied to specific habitat types, described by regional guides as being closely associated with mountain and foothill forests, aspen groves, and meadows, often nesting at mid-to-high elevations. One especially remarkable individual holds a longevity record: a female Broad-tailed hummingbird is the oldest known hummingbird in the United States at 12 years of age.
Key Insight: Sinks Canyon State Park near Lander is one of the best places in the state to watch broad-tailed hummingbirds work. Park staff report that visitors see the most activity when the arrowleaf balsamroot are blooming, the choke cherries are starting to come in, and that’s when they really start seeing the hummingbirds around the visitor center going after all of those great nectar flowers.
Rufous Hummingbird
Small, fast, and famously bad-tempered, the Rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) earns its reputation the moment it shows up at a feeder. Bird identification guides warn plainly that Rufous Hummingbirds are the most aggressive type of hummingbird in Wyoming, and will relentlessly attack and drive away other hummingbirds, including much larger species.
Males are easy to pick out. They show bright copper-orange coloring on their back and sides of their belly, a beautiful reddish-orange iridescent throat, and a white breast and ear patch behind the eye. Females are more muted, showing a green crown, neck, and back with rufous, copper-colored sides and a white breast and belly.
Unlike broad-taileds, Rufous hummingbirds pass through Wyoming mainly as migrants rather than settled breeders. Wyoming eBird checklist data compiled by regional birding guides shows that Rufous Hummingbirds, although considered a near-threatened species, are mainly spotted in Wyoming during the fall migration from July to mid-September, appearing in nearly 6% of checklists at this time. Pound for pound, this bird is also an endurance champion: Rufous Hummingbirds are one of the longest migrating birds relative to their size, traveling up to 4000 miles each way.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has documented Rufous hummingbirds at Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, a riparian corridor along the Green River that offers exactly the kind of nectar-rich habitat this species seeks out on its long journey. Birders tracking similar migration corridors further west can compare notes with Oregon and Northern California, both of which sit along the Rufous’s Pacific Coast spring route.
Calliope Hummingbird
Don’t let the size fool you. The Calliope hummingbird is a true heavyweight in terms of the distance it covers relative to its tiny frame. A Wyoming Game and Fish Department species account confirms that Calliope Hummingbird is Wyoming’s smallest hummingbird and the smallest bird in North America, north of Mexico, and University of Wyoming research adds that they are the smallest bird in the continental Americas, weighing as little as 2.5 grams, or half the weight of a U.S. nickel.
Males have one identification feature no other North American hummingbird shares. According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, male upperparts are bronzy-green, the head is bronzy-green on top, the cheek has a white stripe, and the neck has a diagnostic metallic magenta gorget that is divided into separate rays, making it the only North American hummingbird with distinctly separated rays. Females look far plainer, with bronzy-green upperparts, more buff below, and a speckled drab neck versus a showy gorget.
Calliope hummingbirds favor higher terrain than most other Wyoming species. The same state wildlife account notes the bird is known to be profuse in Jackson Hole and Story, Wyoming during the summer, and that during fall migration it tends to utilize Wyoming’s mid-elevation montane habitats where there are plentiful flowering species, traveling along the Rocky Mountains en route to winter grounds. Come autumn, these birds head south, wintering outside of Wyoming in Mexico from Sinaloa and Durango to points as far south as Oaxaca.
Important Note: Wildlife officials list the Calliope alongside the Black-chinned hummingbird as a conservation priority. As noted above, both black-chinned and calliope hummingbirds are Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Wyoming, so any information on these species is valuable to state biologists tracking population trends.
For readers comparing how this pattern plays out elsewhere, the broader family of hummingbird species varies enormously in size and range; the different types of hummingbirds found across North America illustrate just how unusual the Calliope’s tiny stature really is.
Rivoli’s Hummingbird
Rivoli’s hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) is the rarest entry on this list by a wide margin, and if you spot one in Wyoming, you have seen something genuinely unusual. The Wyoming Bird Records Committee treats every sighting as noteworthy: Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are extremely rare birds to see in Wyoming, but they have been denoted by the Wyoming Bird Records Committee.
Size is the giveaway. According to identification guides, Rivoli’s Hummingbirds can be identified by their large size; it is one of the two largest hummingbird species north of Mexico, only falling slightly short of the Blue-throated Mountain-gem. Males show metallic green-bronze to emerald green throats and backs with a black breast and a flashy purple crown, though the Audubon Field Guide notes that in most lighting, the male’s green throat and purple crown flash in good light, but usually this bird looks all dark, with white spot behind eye.
This species’ normal range sits well south of Wyoming. Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are resident in Mexico and Central America, but some do migrate north into southern Arizona and New Mexico, and southwestern Texas, where they can be found in pine-oak forests in mountainous regions but will visit feeders in their range.
When individuals do wander as far north as Wyoming, records show it tends to happen Wyoming (June to July), which lines up with the species’ post-breeding wandering behavior. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also notes a naming quirk worth knowing: in 1983, ornithologists changed Rivoli’s Hummingbird’s name to Magnificent Hummingbird, but in 2017, when they split Magnificent into two species, they brought back the name Rivoli’s for the species that occurs between the U.S. and Nicaragua.
Anyone hoping to attract one should focus energy on feeders anyway, since even in its core range this bird responds well to them. As one hummingbird expert explained to Birds and Blooms, “It’ll come to hummingbird feeders.”
For Wyoming residents, the odds are extremely low, but a well-maintained feeder setup that already attracts Broad-tailed and Rufous hummingbirds is the same setup that would draw in any wandering Rivoli’s. Birders wanting to see this species more reliably should look toward its true stronghold in southern Arizona and Arizona more broadly, where feeders regularly host the species through summer.
Common Mistake: Many backyard hosts assume every hummingbird with visible red on its throat must be a Ruby-throated hummingbird. In Wyoming, that assumption is usually wrong. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are a genuinely rare visitor to the state and breed generally in the eastern United States, retreating to Mexico and Central America for winter. A red-throated bird spotted in Wyoming is far more likely to be a male Black-chinned or Broad-tailed. Readers curious about where Ruby-throated hummingbirds actually dominate the landscape can compare notes with Michigan and Pennsylvania, both squarely within their normal eastern breeding range.
Five species, five very different life stories: a common mountain breeder, an occasional visitor, a feisty long-distance migrant, the smallest bird on the continent, and a rare southern wanderer. Together they make Wyoming a more interesting hummingbird destination than its reputation for harsh winters might suggest. Whether you’re filling a feeder for the first time or chasing a rare sighting for your life list, timing your setup to match spring arrivals gives every one of these species the best chance of finding your yard.