Vermont Hummingbirds: 3 Awesome Documented Species

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

Which species of Vermont hummingbirds are found in the state?

Ruby-throated, Rufous, and Mexican Violetear hummingbirds are the 3 species documented as seen in Vermont listed in order of frequency seen.

Sighting Maps:

These 3 species of hummingbirds are documented as being seen in Vermont by sighting maps, listed in the order of frequently seen:

• Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)
• Rufous (Selasphorus rufus)
• Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus)

These 3 hummingbird species found in Vermont are further classified into three groups:
Year-round residents, Seasonal visitors, and Rare/Vagrant visitors.

Hummingbird:	Year-Round, Seasonal, Rare/Vagrant
Ruby-throated	Seasonal
Rufous	Rare/Vagrant
Mexican Violetear	Rare/Vagrant

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

Year-Round
Vermont Hummingbirds:

There are no hummingbirds classified as year-round residents in Vermont.
This hummingbird classification is defined as year-round residents residing in Vermont 365 days a year.

Vermont hummingbirds, the Ruby-throated, Rufous, and Mexican Violetear hummingbirds, migrate south to their wintering grounds during fall migration.

Seasonal
Vermont Hummingbirds:

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

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

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 Vermont.

Breeding map for Ruby-throated hummingbirds that breed and nest in Vermont, reported by ebird.org

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

For more pictures and information on Ruby-throated hummingbirds

Rare/Vagrant
Vermont Hummingbirds:

The Rufous and Mexican Violetear hummingbirds are the 2 Vermont 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 as well as where and when they can be found in Vermont.

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 breed in the north from southern Alaska and most travel all the way south to winter in Mexico.
They are an extremely rare vagrant to Vermont since they are seen mainly in the Western United States.

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

For more pictures and information on Rufous 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 an extremely rare accidental vagrant to Vermont.

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

For more pictures and information on Mexican Violetear hummingbirds.

Which Vermont hummingbirds are most frequently seen in the state?

The most frequently seen Vermont hummingbird is overwhelmingly the Ruby-throated hummingbird.

Vermont hummingbirds :
Listed in order of frequency seen

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 98.8% of all hummingbirds seen in Vermont are Ruby-throated hummingbirds.
Out of 10,000 Vermont hummingbirds seen, 9,988 will be a Ruby-throated hummingbird.

Rufous Hummingbird: 0.10% of all hummingbirds seen in Vermont are Rufous hummingbirds.
Out of 10,000 Vermont hummingbirds seen, only 10 will be a Rufous hummingbird.

Mexican Violetear Hummingbird: In 2023, out of 45,756 Vermont hummingbirds seen, only 4 were Mexican Violetear hummingbirds.

Where In The State Are Vermont Hummingbirds Seen?

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird: This is where, in Vermont, current sightings of this hummingbird are being reported.
• Rufous Hummingbird: This is where, in Vermont, current sightings of this hummingbird are being reported.
• Mexican Violetear Hummingbird: This is where, in Vermont, current sightings of this hummingbird are being reported.

Read my article:
Vermont Hummingbird Migration

Happy Hummingbird Watching!

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions