Hummingbirds Have Arrived In Colorado for 2024 + We Have The Buzz
The hummingbirds have arrived in Colorado. This awesome interactive map helps you monitor hummingbirds as they make their migration into Colorado for spring 2024.
A Broad-tailed Hummingbird was spotted on Friday, April 26, 2024, near Ft. Collins, Colorado. Another was spotted Sunday, April 28, in Lowry. A Black-chinned Hummingbird was spotted in Grand Junction as far back as April 14, 2024. Here's a chance to stay up to speed with hummingbird activity across Colorado.
Hummingbirds Sightings in Western Colorado for Spring 2023
The website Hummingbird Central is an interactive site where you can report hummingbird activity across the country. That information is then posted to a detailed map.
Looking at the map for Colorado, so far in 2024 Colorado residents have made these reports:
- April 5, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird spotted in Arboles, Colorado
- April 12, 2024: Black-chinned Hummingbird spotted in Trinidad, Colorado
- April 13, 2024: Black-chinned Hummingbird sighted in Cortez, Colorado
- April 13, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird spotted in Manitou Springs, Colorado
- April 16, 2024: Rufous Hummingbird in Salida, Colorado
- April 17, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird sighted in Rangely, Colorado
- April 20, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird spotted in Cline, Colorado
- April 23, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird sighted in Gypsum, Colorado
- April 24, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird spotted in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- April 25, 2024: Broad-tailed Hummingbird spotted in Livermore, Colorado
Black-Chinned Hummingbirds In Western Colorado
You'll see the majority of reports from Western Colorado involve the Black-chinned hummingbird. According to All About Birds::
A small green-backed hummingbird of the West, with no brilliant colors on its throat except a thin strip of iridescent purple bordering the black chin, only visible when light hits it just right. Black-chinned Hummingbirds are exceptionally widespread, found from deserts to mountain forests. Many winter along the Gulf Coast. Often perches at the very top of a bare branch. Low-pitched humming sound produced by wings.
Typical Arrival Time In Colorado
The website Only In Your State reports:
Hummingbirds spend their time from around September to around April in warmer climates nearer to the equator. In April, though, they begin a mass migration northward – arriving in colorful Colorado in late April, and staying until about August.
Colorado 2024 Compared to Past Years
Looking back at 2022, It appears as though April 9 was the big day. These were the first four Hummingbird sightings in Colorado in 2022.
You'll notice that in each case, the birds observed were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. According to audubon.org, this variety is typically found in mountain meadows and forests.
Breeds mostly in mountains, up to over 10,000 feet elevation. Mostly in rather open forest, especially near streams, including pine-oak and pinyon-juniper woods, and associations of spruce, Douglas-fir, and aspen. Migrants occur in all semi-open habitats of mountains and also make stopovers in lowlands. - audubon.org
Be a Part of the Fun
Hummingbird Central's Spring 2024 Hummingbird Migration Map is a ton of fun. You can be a part of it. You can report your sightings while remaining completely anonymous. They do not share your name, email, or exact address. They only share the info you provide regarding your city, state, and sighting details.
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