8 Hummingbirds Found in Missouri: (Pictures and Sounds)

This article identifies and describes Missouri hummingbirds, where in Missouri they are seen, and whether they are year-round, seasonal, or rare vagrant residents.

Which species of Missouri hummingbirds are found in the state?

Ruby-throated, Rufous, Anna’s, Black-chinned, Calliope, Allen’s, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed hummingbirds are the 8 species documented as seen in Missouri listed in order of frequency seen.

Sighting Maps:

These 8 species of hummingbirds are documented as being seen in Missouri by sighting maps, listed in the order of frequently seen:

• Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)
• Rufous (Selasphorus rufus)
• Anna’s (Calypte anna)
• Black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri)
• Calliope (Selasphorus calliope)
• Allen’s (Selasphorus sasin)
• Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus)
• Broad-billed (Cynanthus latirostris)

These 8 hummingbirds species found in Missouri are further classified into three groups:
Year-round residents, Seasonal, and Rare/Vagrant visitors.

Hummingbird:	Year-Round, Seasonal, Rare/Vagrant
Ruby-throated	Seasonal
Rufous	Rare/Vagrant
Anna’s	Rare/Vagrant
Black-chinned	Rare/Vagrant
Calliope	Rare/Vagrant
Allen’s	Rare/Vagrant
Broad-tailed	Rare/Vagrant
Broad-billed	Rare/Vagrant

For more information on Missouri hummingbirds:
Read my article:
Hummingbird Migration in Missouri

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Missouri.

Year-Round Missouri Hummingbirds:

There are no hummingbirds classified as year-round residents in Missouri.

This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds that are year-round residents residing in Missouri 365 days a year and do not migrate.

Some rare Rufous hummingbirds are seen in Missouri during winter, but most migrate south for the winter.
Other hummingbirds that are too old or injured to migrate can also overwinter.

Contrary to popular belief, hummingbirds can withstand far lower temperatures than most people would expect.

Some banded hummingbirds have been observed at temperatures as low as -9 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -36 degrees Fahrenheit, according to eBird.org.

See my article:
3 Reasons Why Hummingbirds Are Banded

Seasonal Missouri Hummingbirds:

The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only classified seasonal Missouri hummingbird.

Hummingbirds that fit within this category are those that temporality pass through Missouri as part of their migratory pattern during spring and fall migration.

Hummingbirds move south to spend the winter in Mexico and Central America in the fall, after migrating north in the spring to reproduce.

Some seasonal hummingbirds will remain in Missouri for the entire winter by choice, injury, or old age.

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Missouri.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD – (Archilochus colubris)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Archilochus
Species: A. colubris

Ruby-throated hummingbirds main residence is mostly in the Midwest and on the east coast of the United States, therefore they are the most commonly seen hummingbird in Missouri.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only bird that breed and nest in Missouri.

See the current sighting map of Ruby-throated hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Rare/Vagrant Hummingbirds In Missouri:

Rufous, Anna’s, Black-chinned, Calliope, Allen’s, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed hummingbirds are the 7 Missouri hummingbirds classified as rare or vagrant listed in order of frequency seen.

This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds residing in a group outside of their normal geographic range.

Not only do these species of hummingbirds have a wide variety of specific geographic ranges, but they are also known to sometimes interbreed with each other creating hybrids.

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species in Missouri.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus rufus)

Conservation Status: Near threatened
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. rufous

Rufous hummingbirds are located in western North America and are a migrating species.
They are a rare/vagrant visitor to Missouri and are seen mainly in the Western United States.

Some Rufous hummingbirds are seen in Missouri during winter, but most migrate south for the winter.

They are the second most commonly seen hummingbird in Missouri, behind the Ruby-throated hummingbird, even though there is a vast difference in sighting numbers between the two species.

See the current sighting map of Rufous hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Rufous hummingbirds.

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Calypte anna) 

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Calypte
Species: C. anna

The Anna’s hummingbirds are seen from Alaska and southern Canada to Washington, Oregon, California, Baja, and into the southwestern regions of Arizona and neighboring states.
They are primarily found on the west coast of North America and are rare/vagrants to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of Anna’s hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Anna’s hummingbirds.

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD – (Archilochus alexandri)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Archilochus
Species: A. alexandri

The Black-chinned hummingbird is a migratory bird that breeds as far north as Canada, the western United States, and as south as Mexico, they are rare/vagrant visitors to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of the Black-chinned hummingbird in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Black-chinned hummingbirds.

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus calliope)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. calliope

Calliope hummingbirds are located in western North America and are a migrating species.
Most travel all the way south to winter in Mexico making them extremely rare/vagrants to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of the Calliope hummingbird in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Calliope hummingbirds.

ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus sasin)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. sasin

Allen’s hummingbirds commonly reside and nest along the West Coast of the United States and winter in Mexico, making them extremely rare to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of Allen’s hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Allen’s hummingbirds.

BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD – (Selsaphoris platycercus)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selsaphoris
Species: S. platycercus

The Broad-tailed hummingbird is primarily found in the mountainous regions of western North America and migrates south to winter in Mexico and Guatemala.
They are an extremely rare hummingbird to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of Broad-tailed hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Broad-tailed hummingbirds.

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD –
(Cynanthus latirostris)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Cynanthus
Species: C. latirostris

Broad-billed hummingbirds are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and down into Central America.
They do travel frequently to the United States near the southern Mexican border, however, most of their population stays year-round in Mexico and Central America.

They are extremely rare to Missouri.

See the current sighting map of Broad-billed hummingbirds in Missouri.

For more pictures and information on Broad-billed hummingbirds.

Keep your eyes peeled and observe and enjoy the multiple types of hummingbirds found in Missouri!

Is Missouri attractive to hummingbirds?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 63% of Missouri’s landmass is agricultural land, making it a highly attractive environment for hummingbirds.

Missouri, known as the “show-me” state, is reasonably flat landmass with the highest peak being 1,773 feet above sea level but only 973 feet above the lowest point in the state.

Hummingbirds are the second most important pollinator, only exceeded in importance to the honeybee.

Because Missouri is surrounded by other states and is not protected by climate regulators, such as mountains or oceans, it often experiences extremes in temperatures.

Missouri’s hot humid summer temperatures will give most hummingbirds some difficulty when temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hummingbird enthusiasts can help hummingbirds during these extremely hot times.

See my article:
How to Cool Hummingbird Nectar in Hot Weather

This combination of climate and land use makes Missouri a good choice for some hummingbirds, especially the Ruby-throated hummingbird, the species of hummingbirds that dominate the Missouri landscape.

See my article:
Hummingbird Migration in Missouri

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions

Happy Hummingbird Watching!