Hummingbirds Found in Illinois: (Pictures and Sounds)

This article identifies all hummingbirds documented as seen in Illinois and where they are seen in the state.

It further identifies if that specific hummingbird species is a year-round resident, a seasonal visitor, or a rare vagrant hummingbird seen in Illinois.

What species of Illinois hummingbirds are found in the state?

Ruby-throated, Rufous, Anna’s, Broad-billed, Mexican Violetear, Broad-tailed, and Allen’s hummingbirds are the 7 species documented as seen in Illinois listed in order of frequency seen.

These 7 species of hummingbirds are documented as being seen in Illinois by sighting maps, listed in the order of frequently seen:

• Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)
• Rufous (Selasphorus rufus)
• Anna’s (Calypte anna)
• Broad-billed (Cynanthus latirostris)
• Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus)
• Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus)
• Allen’s (Selasphorus sasin)

These 7 hummingbirds species found in Illinois 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
Broad-billed	Rare/Vagrant
Mexican Violetear	Rare/Vagrant
Broad-tailed	Rare/Vagrant
Allen’s	Rare/Vagrant

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

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

Year-Round Hummingbirds in Illinois

There are no hummingbirds classified as year-round residents in Illinois.
This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds that are year-round residents residing in Illinois 365 days a year and do not migrate.

Some Rufous hummingbirds are seen in Illinois 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

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

Seasonal Hummingbirds in Illinois

The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only classified seasonal Illinois hummingbird.
This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds that temporarily pass through Illinois as part of their migratory pattern during spring and fall migration.

Hummingbirds travel north to breed during spring migration and travel south during fall migration to winter in Mexico and Central America.

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 Illinois.

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
They are the most commonly seen seasonal migratory bird and the only one that breeds in Illinois.

During spring migration, Ruby-throated hummingbirds return to Illinois in mid-April to begin breeding and nesting, according to Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

Many of the Ruby-throated hummingbirds will not migrate further north than Illinois and will remain in Illinois all summer until they migrate south for the winter.

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

For more pictures and information on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Rare/Vagrant Hummingbirds in Illinois

The 6 classified rare/vagrant Illinois hummingbirds (listed in order of frequency seen).

• Rufous
• Anna’s
• Broad-billed
• Mexican Violetear
• Broad-tailed
• Allen’s

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 Illinois.

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 Illinois since they are seen mainly in the Western United States.

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

They are the second most commonly seen hummingbird in Illinois, 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 Illinois.

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 extremely rare to Illinois since they live along the western coastline of North America, starting from southern Canada all the way to northern Baja California.

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

For more pictures and information on Anna’s 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 travel frequently to the United States close to the southern Mexican border, however are rare/vagrants to Illinois.

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

For more pictures and information on Broad-billed hummingbirds.

MEXICAN VIOLETEAR
(aka GREEN VIOLETEAR) HUMMINGBIRD – (Colibri thalassinus)  

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

The Mexican Violetear (Violet-ear) or the Green-Violetear hummingbird are usually found in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America making them a rare/accidental visitor to Illinois.

See the current sighting map of Mexican Violetear hummingbirds in Illinois.

For more pictures and information on Mexican Violetear 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 a rare/vagrant hummingbird to Illinois.

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

For more pictures and information on Broad-tailed 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, therefore making them extremely rare migratory visitors to Illinois.

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

What are the most common hummingbirds seen in Illinois?

The Ruby-throated hummingbird representing 99.3% of all hummingbirds seen, following in a very distant second place the Rufous hummingbird at 0.38% are the two most commonly seen hummingbirds in Illinois.

These are Illinois statistics at the end of 2023 as reported by ebird.org

Read my article:
Hummingbird Migration in Illinois

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions

Happy Hummingbird Watching!