Selasphorus rufus
Status: Uncommon regular fall migrant west and west central, rare east central and east. Accidental in spring.
Documentation: Specimen: UNO B218, late Aug 1971 Scotts Bluff Co (Bray et al 1986).
Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025).
See Comments below regarding Allen’s Hummingbird (S. sasin), as yet unrecorded in Nebraska.
Spring: The only documented record is of one photographed at a feeder at Lake McConaughy, Keith Co 17 May 2013 (Silcock 2013). During the same spring, a possible Rufous Hummingbird was in a Scotts Bluff Co yard 30-31 May, but it was not conclusively identified (Silcock 2013).
Spring (Apr-May) records of this species on the northern Great Plains away from the Rocky Mountains are rare; the only such records in states adjacent to Nebraska are of three in Iowa 13 Apr-8 May, one in northwestern Missouri 5 Apr, four in Kansas 17 Apr-24 May, and two in eastern Colorado 29 Apr-10 May (eBird.org, accessed May 2026). Late Jun records are early fall migrants (see Fall).
Fall: Jul 10, 10, 11<<<>>> Sep 1, 2, 3
There are earlier dates, all of adult males, in Scotts Bluff Co, 23 Jun 2016 (Silcock 2016), 27 Jun 2019, and 29 Jun 2018.
Later dates within the expected west and west central range are 5 Sep 2012 Scotts Bluff Co, 5 Sep 2017 two Scotts Bluff Co, 9 Sep 2018 Dawes Co, 9 Sep 2023 Scotts Bluff Co, 11 Sep 2023 Scotts Bluff Co, 13 Sep 2022 Scotts Bluff Co, 19 Sep 2019 Deuel Co, and 7 Oct 2023 Scotts Bluff Co.
Later dates away from the expected migration corridor are numerous and mostly in the east. These include the latest dates for the state, reminiscent of Broad-tailed Hummingbird.
The 29 records for the east and east central are 17 Jul 2013 Lancaster Co, 28-30 Jul 2010 Lancaster Co, 29 Jul 2013 Omaha, Douglas Co, 31 Jul 2026 Hansen Ranch, Knox Co, 3 Aug 2022 (2) Nance Co, 6 Aug 2018 Seward Co, 6-18 Aug 2024 Genoa, Nance Co, 4-18 Aug 2022 Hall Co, 12 Aug 2024 Nance Co, 19 Aug 2021 Seward Co, 21 Aug 2002 Knox Co, 21 Aug 2025 Adams Co, 22 Aug 2019 Lancaster Co, 22 Aug 2023 Gage Co, 23 Aug 2006 Omaha, 24-28 Aug 2022 Hall Co, 9 Sep 2020 Nance Co, 9 Sep 2020 Buffalo Co, 13 Sep 2010 Lancaster Co, 17 Sep 2022 Nance Co, 17 Sep 2022 Lancaster Co, 27-28 Sep 2006 (male) Creighton, Knox Co, 2 Oct 2002 Omaha, 22 Oct 2002 Boone Co (Brogie 2003), 20-24 Oct 2018 Knox Co, 10-17 Nov 1985 Bellevue, Sarpy Co (Douglas 1985, Mollhoff 1987), 18 Aug-18 Nov 2002 Omaha (Brogie 2004), 19 Aug-28 Nov Bellevue, and 3 Dec 2015 York Co.
There are two additional records with informative details. One at the Jorgensen feeders in Lincoln, Lancaster Co 13 Sep 2011 and persisted until 3 Nov, when it was captured, its identity confirmed as a Rufous, not an Allen’s, and transferred to the Henry Doorly Zoo Insect Pavilion (Silcock 2011). An immature 20-21 Nov 2013 and an adult 21-22 Nov 2013 at a Lincoln, Lancaster Co feeder- both birds were taken to Henry Doorly Zoo, the immature dying and now a specimen, UNSM ZM18857 (Silcock 2013).
- High counts: 10-12 near Mitchell, Scotts Bluff Co 23 Jul 2022, 9+ in Kimball Co 9 Aug 2001, 9 at Smith feeders, Scotts Bluff Co 5 Aug 2022, 6+ at Bushnell, Kimball Co 26-31 Aug 2002, 6 in Scotts Bluff Co 27 Jul 2003, and 6 there 27 Jul 2018.
Nebraska fall records have not shown a trend from 2016-2025, ranging from two in 2016 to 14 in 2020 and 2022 and averaging 7.8 per year (eBird.org, accessed May 2026), even though, from 1970 to 2019, the Rufous Hummingbird net population change was −65% (CI −72 to −56%) at −2.1% per year (CI −2.6 to −1.7% per year) and this rate of decline has also accelerated by nearly two-fold during 2009-2019 to −4.1% per year (CI −5.5 to −2.7% per year); these trends appear to be most dramatic on the Pacific Coast of the Rufous Hummingbird’s range, and may be affected by mismatch of migration timing and plant phenology (English et al 2021).
Comments: Identification of females and immatures of Allen’s Hummingbird as well as the not uncommon hybrids with Rufous Hummingbird has been discussed by Clark and Mitchell (2020). Green-backed Rufous Hummingbirds occur, as do Allen’s with minimal green feathering on their backs; some of these may be hybrids (Clark and Mitchell 2020). While the possibility of Allen’s occurring in Nebraska cannot be eliminated, it is highly likely that the overwhelming majority of Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds in Nebraska are indeed Rufous (Silcock and Jorgensen 1996). The only record of Allen’s from states neighboring Nebraska is of an immature male banded, photographed, and identified from “selected rectrices” in Wyandotte Co, Kansas 25 Aug 1992 (Thompson et al 2011).
Images
Abbreviations
UNO: University of Nebraska- Omaha
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum
Literature Cited
AviList Core Team, 2025. AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025. https://doi.org/10.2173/avilist.v2025.
Bray, T.E., B.K. Padelford, and W.R. Silcock. 1986. The birds of Nebraska: A critically evaluated list. Published by the authors, Bellevue, Nebraska, USA.
Brogie, M.A. 2003. 2002 (14th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 71: 136-142.
Brogie, M.A. 2004. 2003 (15th) Report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 72: 59-65.
Clark, C.J., and D.E. Mitchell. 2020. Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.allhum.01.
Douglas, A.V. 1985. Rufous Hummingbird. NBR 53: 80.
English, S.G., C.A Bishop, S. Wilson, and A.C. Smith. 2021. Current contrasting population trends among North American hummingbirds. Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-97889-x.
Mollhoff, W.J. 1987. First report of the NOU Records Committee. NBR 55: 79-85.
Silcock, W.R. 2011. Fall Field Report, August-November 2011. NBR 79: 118-135.
Silcock, W.R. 2013. Spring Field Report, Mar 2013 to May 2013. NBR 81: 50-79.
Silcock, W.R. 2013. Fall Field Report, August-November 2013. NBR 81: 134-160.
Silcock, W.R. 2016. Summer Field Report, June-July 2016. NBR 84: 110-131.
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 1996. Fall Field Report, August-November 1996. NBR 64: 106- 129.
Thompson, M.C., C.A. Ely, B. Gress, C. Otte, S.T. Patti, D. Seibel, and E.A. Young. 2011. Birds of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2026. Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 7 Aug 2026