Western rufous hummingbirds migrate through the Rocky Mountains and nearby lowlands from May to September to take advantage of the wildflower season. ![]() Distribution and habitat A perched female rufous hummingbird This is a typical-sized hummingbird, being a very small bird. The typical "notched" shape of the second rectrix (R2) is considered an important field mark to distinguish the adult male rufous hummingbird from the adult male Allen's hummingbird. Females and the rare green-backed males are extremely difficult to differentiate from Allen's hummingbird. The female is slightly larger than the male. The female has green, white, and some iridescent orange feathers in the center of the throat, and a dark tail with white tips and rufous base. ![]() Some males have some green on their back and/or crown. The adult male has a white breast, rufous face, flanks and tail and an iridescent orange-red throat patch or gorget. Description A perched male rufous hummingbird The species is considered as monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The specific epithet rufus is the Latin word for "red". The genus name combines the Ancient Greek selas meaning "light" or "flame" with -phoros meaning "-carrying". The rufous hummingbird is now placed with eight other species in the genus Selasphorus that was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William John Swainson. The type locality is Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island in western Canada. ![]() Gmelin based his description on the Ruff-necked humming-bird that had been described by John Latham in 1782 and the Ruffed honeysucker that had been described by Thomas Pennant in 1785. He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus rufus. The rufous hummingbird was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. It is one of nine species in the genus Selasphorus. These birds are known for their extraordinary flight skills, flying 2,000 mi (3,200 km) during their migratory transits. The rufous hummingbird ( Selasphorus rufus) is a small hummingbird, about 8 cm (3.1 in) long with a long, straight and slender bill.
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