Hummingbirds in Arkansas: The Two Species to Watch for and How to Attract Them
September 23, 2026
Every spring, backyard birdwatchers across Arkansas start scanning their feeders for a flash of iridescent green and red. That flash usually belongs to one of two hummingbirds in Arkansas that dominate the birding conversation: the ruby-throated hummingbird, the state’s only true nesting species, and the rufous hummingbird, a scrappy western traveler that is quietly rewriting the rules about who spends winter in the Natural State.
Both birds have distinct arrival windows, different reasons for passing through, and their own quirks when it comes to feeders and native plants. Understanding the difference matters if you want to keep your yard stocked at the right time of year and correctly identify whichever tiny visitor shows up at your window.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
According to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, the ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the species most commonly observed in the state. The scientific name is worth remembering, since it is the only hummingbird confirmed to raise young within Arkansas borders rather than simply passing through.
What Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Look Like
The Archilochus colubris is easy to recognize once you know what to look for. Males are recognizable by their brilliant red throat, which gleams like a ruby in the sunlight, contrasted against an iridescent green back and white underparts, while females are less flamboyant with more subdued green plumage and a pale throat. During the breeding season, these birds can be found from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Canada, making them the most common hummingbird in the eastern part of the continent, which is part of why they show up reliably in Arkansas yards every summer.
They are not picky eaters, either. Beyond nectar, the birds eat small insects, their eggs, spiders and larvae, and they also occasionally sip tree sap from woodpecker-drilled holes if nectar is scarce. That varied diet is one reason a pesticide-free yard matters as much as a well-stocked feeder.
When Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Arrive and Leave in Arkansas
Ruby-throated hummingbirds begin their northward journey in early spring, typically arriving in Arkansas between mid-March and late April as they make their way toward breeding territories. Local sightings back this up: as of March 18, 2026, the farthest north that ruby-throated hummingbirds had been seen in Arkansas was Ashdown in Little River County, with additional sightings in Camden, Texarkana, and El Dorado.
The return trip follows a predictable pattern as well. Hummingbirds start their southbound journey as early as late July, with peak migration occurring in September, and by mid-October, most hummingbirds have left Arkansas, continuing their journey to Mexico and Central America. Some stragglers may linger into November, depending on weather conditions and food availability.
| Migration Stage | Typical Timing in Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Spring arrival begins | Mid-March |
| Bulk of spring migration | Late March through April |
| Fall departure begins | Late July |
| Peak fall migration | September |
| Most birds gone | Mid-October |
| Occasional stragglers | Into November |
If you have wondered when do hummingbirds arrive in Arkansas compared to neighboring states, the timing lines up closely with other parts of the eastern range. Readers who split time between states can compare notes with guides covering hummingbirds in Illinois and hummingbird species in Missouri, both of which share the same ruby-throated arrival window.
How to Attract Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to Your Yard
Attracting hummingbirds in Arkansas starts with the right plants. Arkansas provides an abundance of natural food sources, including native plants like trumpet vine, bee balm, and cardinal flower, which attract these tiny visitors. Salvia and cardinal flower have long stalks perfect for hummingbirds’ slender beaks, while trumpet flowers are climbing plants whose shape offers an easy way for hummingbirds to reach the nectar, and columbines are also attractive to the birds.
Pro Tip: Fill feeders with a simple sugar-water solution using four parts water to one part sugar, with no red dye needed.
Nectar alone will not keep hummingbirds around. Hummingbirds also require protein in their diet, which they obtain by catching small insects like gnats, mosquitoes, and fruit flies, making a balanced garden ecosystem crucial for their survival. Avoiding pesticides protects both the birds and the insects they rely on.
For readers hoping to see ruby-throats in the wild rather than a backyard feeder, several parks stand out. Mount Magazine State Park attracts many hummingbirds during migration as the highest point in Arkansas, Petit Jean State Park offers an excellent stopover thanks to its rich plant life, Hot Springs National Park’s gardens and wooded areas offer prime viewing spots, and Buffalo National River’s diverse flora makes it a great refuge for migrating birds.
For a deeper dive into feeder setup and yard design, the guide to what attracts hummingbirds covers plant selection and feeder placement in more detail. Because the ruby-throated hummingbird’s eastern range overlaps with states like Pennsylvania and East Tennessee, the same core strategy of native tubular flowers plus clean feeders works across most of the ruby-throat’s breeding territory.
Rufous Hummingbird
The second species Arkansas birders talk about is smaller in number but bigger in personality. Most of the hummers that remain over the winter in Arkansas are Rufous Hummingbirds, which can easily be identified by their bright orange-red throats. The scientific name for this species is Selasphorus rufus, and it belongs to a different genus than its ruby-throated cousin.
Identifying the Rufous Hummingbird
Males can easily be identified by their glossy orange-red throats, a feature that separates them at a glance from the ruby-throated’s redder, flatter-looking gorget. These birds are also known for being fearless, chasing away other hummingbirds and even larger birds or rodents from their favorite nectar feeders and flowers. That aggressive streak is a useful identification clue on its own—if one small bird is bullying everything else at the feeder, it is worth a second look.
A Rare but Increasingly Common Winter Visitor
Sources do not fully agree on just how often Arkansans see this species, and that is worth flagging directly.
Important Note: Some regional guides describe the rufous hummingbird as very rare in Arkansas, appearing only occasionally during migration, while other sources report a clear rise in overwintering birds in recent years. The most consistent theme across sources is that sightings, while still uncommon compared to the ruby-throated hummingbird, have become noticeably more frequent than they were a decade ago.
Hummingbirds that were previously only migrating through Arkansas are increasingly staying there over the winter, and other hummingbirds seen in the state include the rufous hummingbird and, more rarely, the calliope hummingbird—both species that used to be seen in Arkansas only during their spring or fall migrations but are now increasingly found remaining for extended periods over fall and winter. Scientists suggest the increasing numbers of wintering hummingbirds may be attributed to factors like climate change and the growing number of hummingbird feeders that help them through the colder months.
Migration timing for rufous hummingbirds follows its own schedule. Rufous hummingbirds, which can be identified by their bright orange-red throats, usually arrive in late March and early April, and rufous hummingbirds, described as the most common hummingbirds in Arkansas during that window, typically leave in September or October. Unlike the ruby-throated, the rufous hummingbird’s true breeding grounds lie far to the west and north, which is why readers curious about its home range often end up comparing notes with guides to hummingbirds in Oregon, hummingbirds in Idaho, and hummingbirds in southern Arizona—all states along its long migratory loop.
| Feature | Ruby-Throated Hummingbird | Rufous Hummingbird |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Archilochus colubris | Selasphorus rufus |
| Status in Arkansas | Common breeding species | Uncommon, increasingly seen in fall/winter |
| Typical spring arrival | Mid-March to late April | Late March to early April |
| Typical fall departure | Late July through mid-October | September to October, some overwinter |
| Identifying feature | Brilliant red throat, green back | Glossy orange-red throat, rusty flanks |
Supporting Rufous Hummingbirds Through Fall and Winter
Because rufous hummingbirds are territorial by nature, feeder setup matters more than it might for other species. If you notice one hummingbird chasing another away from a feeder, set up a second feeder out of sight of the first one so both birds have room to feed without conflict. This is especially useful if a rufous hummingbird has decided to claim your yard as its own through the colder months.
Timing matters just as much as placement. Taking feeders down early will not force birds to stay longer, since a hummingbird’s natural instinct to migrate is stronger than its urge to feed—which it can do on the fly anyway by catching insects and stopping for nectar—so it is best to keep feeders up and the nectar fresh until you do not see any hummers for a week or two. If you want to attract hummingbirds and encourage them to return the following year, avoid removing feeders for at least ten days after the last bird has been spotted.
Pro Tip: The HummZinger Ultra is one of the best hummingbird feeders for Arkansas yards because it is easy to take apart and clean, which matters when nectar spoils faster in humid weather.
For readers who want to compare how a wintering rufous hummingbird might behave in a milder climate, guides to hummingbirds in North Florida offer a useful contrast, since that region also sees occasional winter hummingbird activity outside the typical breeding season. Those curious about the full range of species that might theoretically wander into Arkansas can also browse the different types of hummingbirds found across North America.
Keeping Your Yard Ready for Both Species
Arkansas sits at a genuinely interesting crossroads for hummingbird migration patterns. The ruby-throated hummingbird treats the state as home base for breeding season, while the rufous hummingbird treats it as an increasingly popular stopover or winter refuge on a much longer journey. Since the ruby-throated hummingbird is Arkansas’s only hummingbird that breeds in the Natural State, any other species spotted at a feeder is worth documenting.
Keeping nectar fresh, feeders clean, and a few native tubular flowers in bloom from spring through fall covers most of what either species needs. Readers building out a hummingbird-friendly yard from scratch may also find it useful to browse regional comparisons like hummingbirds in Kansas City or hummingbirds in Michigan, both of which sit along the same broad eastern flyway that brings ruby-throats through Arkansas every year. With the right setup, a backyard almost anywhere in the state has a fair shot at hosting both of Arkansas’s signature hummingbirds in the same season.