Alaska Hummingbirds: 5 Awesome Documented Species

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

Which Species Of Alaska Hummingbirds Are Found In The State?

Rufous, Anna’s, Costa’s, Calliope, and Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the 5 species of hummingbirds documented as seen in Alaska listed in order of frequency seen.

Sighting Maps:

These 5 species of hummingbirds are documented as being seen in Alaska by sighting maps, listed in the order of frequently seen:

• Rufous (Selasphorus rufus)
• Anna’s (Calypte anna)
• Costa’s (Calypte costae)
• Calliope (Selasphorus calliope)
• Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)

These 5 hummingbirds species found in Alaska are further classified into three groups:
Year-round residents, Seasonal, and Rare/Vagrant visitors.

Hummingbirds:	Year-Round, Seasonal, Rare/Vagrant
Anna’s	Year-round resident
Rufous	Seasonal resident
Costa’s	Rare/vagrant resident
Calliope	Rare/vagrant resident
Ruby-throated	Rare/vagrant resident

For more information on Alaska hummingbirds:
Read my article:
Alaska Hummingbird Migration

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

Year-Round Alaska Hummingbirds

The Anna’s hummingbird is classified as a year-round residents in Alaska.
This hummingbird classification is defined as year-round residents residing in Alaska 365 days a year.

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

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

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.

Anna’s hummingbirds are known to breed and are year-round residents to Alaska.

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

For more pictures and information on Anna’s hummingbirds.

Seasonal Alaska Hummingbirds

The Rufous hummingbird is the only classified seasonal Alaska hummingbird.
Hummingbirds that fit within this category are those that migrate through Alaska on a spring or fall emigration basis.

Even though the Rufous hummingbird is a migratory bird, they are the number one commonly seen hummingbird in Alaska.

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

Due to their preference, an ailment, or advanced age, certain seasonal hummingbirds may spend the whole winter in the state.

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

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 the western United States and are a migrating species.
They are the number one most commonly seen seasonal hummingbird in Alaska.

The Rufous breeds and nests in Alaska during the spring and migrate south for the winter.

See the current sighting map of Rufous hummingbirds in Alaska.

For more pictures and information on Rufous hummingbirds.

Rare/Vagrant Alaska Hummingbirds

Costa’s, Calliope, and Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the 3 Alaska hummingbirds classified as rare or vagrant hummingbirds.
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 Alaska.

COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Calypte costae)

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

The Costa’s hummingbird, though usually residing in the Western United States, Mexico and as far south as Guatemala during the winter is a rare/vagrant hummingbird to Alaska.

See the current sighting map of Costa’s hummingbirds in Alaska.

For more pictures and information on Costa’s 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 accidental vagrants to Alaska.

The breeding range of Calliope hummingbirds include the mountainous regions of western North America, primarily in the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada.

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

For more pictures and information on Calliope hummingbirds.

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 extremely rare accidental vagrants to Alaska.

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

For more pictures and information on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Which Alaska Hummingbirds Are Most Frequently Seen In The State?

The Rufous hummingbird followed by the Anna’s hummingbird are the two most frequently seen hummingbirds in Alaska.

The remaining rare vagrants of Alaska hummingbirds are a mix of Costa’s, Calliope, and Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are seen in Alaska along the southern coastline of the Pacific Ocean which extends slightly inland.

Read my article:
Alaska Hummingbird Migration

Happy Hummingbird Watching!

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions