Vagrants are birds that are found outside of the range where we expect to see them. For years, people believed that the Ruby-throated Hummingbird was the only species found in eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Recent research in the United States has shown that other species can be found in the east and some of them, such as Rufous Hummingbirds are observed on a fairly regular basis. There has not been any research conducted in Ontario to determine what other hummingbirds might visit us during the winter months. If fact, most people take their feeders down early in the fall so any hummingbirds that do visit can easily go unnoticed.
Black-chinned Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird
The first of the adult male Rufous hummingbirds can appear as early as mid to late July. In 2005, there was one observed near Stratford on July 8th. Any hummer in your yard with a brown back is a male Rufous. A female Rufous is a bit harder to identify. She looks quite a bit like a female Ruby-throated but has more of a brown wash on her sides. One was banded in Niagara Falls in December 2004, and another was documented in London in December 2005. This project will help us to learn how frequently Rufous hummingbirds visit Ontario.
Please contact the project coordinator to report a wintering hummer in your yard or neighborhood. The magic cutoff date for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds is October 15th. The chances of a Ruby-throated lingering past this date is quite small. Most Ruby-throats do not return until after April 15th so hummingbirds observed earlier should also be reported.
