Hummingbirds in the District of Columbia

Bird watchers in the District of Columbia can enjoy the antics of hummingbirds, even though there is not a huge population of these tiny, beautiful birds. In the District of Columbia, there are two species of hummingbirds who visit annually, usually at the end of April. These are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the Rufous Hummingbird. The bird watcher in the District of Columbia should have little trouble telling these two species apart, especially if the hummingbird who is visiting is a male. These two species are named for the characteristic that stands out most.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, named for the ruby-colored feathers that cover the throat of the male, is the smaller of the two hummingbird species that frequent the District of Columbia. The male Ruby-throated hummingbird weighs about 3 grams making it the smallest hummingbird species that visits the District of Columbia regularly. The ruby-colored throat of the male is only one distinguishing feature of this tiny bird. The male also has a forked tail, which can be used to determine the identity of this hummingbird. The female has a rounded tail feathers that has white tips. Both sexes of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have emerald green feathers that cover their backs and white feathers covering their breasts. Between the sexes, the female has the longer bill, one more characteristic to look for when trying to identify the hummingbird eating out of your garden or feeder.

After deciding that the visiting hummingbird is not a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, it is time to move on to the only other species of hummingbirds that are commonly seen in the District of Columbia. Looking at identifying marks on this hummingbird will hopefully help determine the identity of the hummingbird in question. After checking the hummingbird's throat to see if there is a predominantly ruby-red throat and determining that there is not, it can be assured that this is not a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but could be a female or even a male or female Rufous Hummingbird. If the hummingbird has a bright orange-red throat, it is probably a male Rufous Hummingbird. Other feather colors and locations to look for in a male Rufous Hummingbird is rufous feathers covering the hummingbirds crown, tail and sides and it's back will either be rufous, green or a combination of both colors. It will have a white breast, just like a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The female Rufous Hummingbird is different from the male Rufous Hummingbird because its back and crown are both green; it has a streaked throat and has rufous tail feathers that have white tips.

Even though there are only two species of hummingbirds that visit the District of Columbus regularly, at least people who enjoy watching them have the opportunity to watch their graceful moves around the feeder or in the garden. One benefit to there being only two species regularly visiting this state is that it does not take much research to be able to identify these hummingbirds when they do visit.