Pick up a pair of dice. Now put one down and hold the other die in one hand. The weight you are holding is roughly equivalent to that of a Rufous Hummingbird!
Now, imagine that tiny bird making an annual 8,000-mile round trip from central Mexico to as far north as southeast Alaska, circumnavigating the Cascade and Rocky Mountains clockwise. Incredibly, this is what Rufous Hummingbirds do. They have the longest migration of any bird their size.
Terry Masear, author of Fastest Things on Wings; Hummingbirds in Hollywood, puts this epic journey into perspective: “Envisioning these near weightless fliers braving the formidable obstacles posed by wind, fire, rain and snow to adjust to the seasons of the earth is nothing short of awe-inspiring.”
I have been fortunate to see Rufous Hummingbirds at various points along their migration route. In April, they arrive in western Washington at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, illuminating the green-gray days with their bright, charismatic presence. Later, they pass through Seattle, pausing briefly on their way north and east. During their brief stay, they make an outsized impression by literally taking over yards and feeders.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website refers to Rufous Hummingbirds as “one of the feistiest hummingbirds in North America.” One spring, a Rufous Hummingbird male attempted to drive me off a ladder while I was trimming trees in the yard. He was remarkably persistent, humming loudly and flashing his flame-orange gorget, as if to say “This is my yard!”
At feeders in Southeast Arizona, where up to six different species of
hummingbirds gather, including some that are twice as large, Rufous Hummingbirds will clear the feeders when they arrive. One must be persistent—even aggressive — when one has such a demanding travel schedule with urgent needs along the way. Masear chronicles their journey and the tight timelines they must meet: “Rufous Hummingbirds remain in northern habitats only a few months to breed and nest. By August, adult males spearhead the wave back through the Rocky Mountains and the Sky Islands, reaching Central Mexico in October, where they spend the winter, molting their feathers before commencing their long flight north in March. “
When Rufous Hummingbirds head south to the Rockies, they visit mountain meadows up to 12,600 feet in elevation. I have seen them in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah in late July at Bear Lake Pass at 7,818 feet of elevation, and in August in Arizona’s Sky Islands during their final leg of the journey.
It takes a lot of fuel to fly this route and aggressively defend territory along the way. Rufous food consists of nectar from colorful, tubular-shaped flowers like Columbine, Scarlet Gilia, Penstemon, Paintbrush, Fireweed and Larkspur, supplemented by insects: gnats, midges, and flies.
Despite their perilous journey, an estimated 22 million Rufous Hummingbirds remain. Their numbers, however, have been declining, due primarily to habitat loss in their breeding, wintering and stopover grounds.
Given the extreme rigors of their lifestyle, longevity is not in the cards for Rufous Hummingbirds. Their average lifespan is only 3-5 years. The oldest known Rufous Hummingbird was an 11-year-old female found, banded, and released in British Columbia. 
Next spring, if you are in western North America, look up and listen for one of the most charismatic birds, ounce-for-ounce, on the planet. Here in the Pacific Northwest, their arrival coincides with the flowering of Salmonberry and Red-flowering Currant. Listen for a loud combination of humming and whistling, then watch for an orange flash. That’s when you know a Rufous is nearby.
