Two kinds of hummingbirds are commonly seen in Delaware and two others are more rarely seen.
If you have spotted a tiny, hovering bird with iridescent feathers with a preference for red, trumpet-shaped flowers, it's a hummingbird. In Delaware, the hummingbirds you see beginning in May each year are likely the ruby-throated or the red rufous hummingbird. Rare sightings of broad-tailed and Allen's hummingbirds have also been reported, according to the Hummingbird Society. One of the best-loved species of birds, hummingbirds are native to the Americas and can take off without a run or a jump. They can fly forwards and backwards, hover and pivot in midair.
Ruby-throated
Female ruby-throated humming bird feeding.
Unmistakable, the ruby-throated hummingbird is about 3 inches long. Its upper parts are bronze-green and its under parts are red, bronze-green and white. The male's throat is brilliant metallic red changing to golden or green in different lights. They use the brilliant plumage to attract breeding females by repeatedly diving to show off their coloring. These summer visitors to Delaware will migrate south to Yucatan or Central America to winter.
Rufous
Almost 4 inches long, the male rufous hummingbird is easily identified by its bright red plumage. Females are bronze-green above and whitish below with some tips of some of its throat feathers metallic orange-red or scarlet. Once the male has put on his aerobatic performance accompanied by high-pitched trilling calls to attract a female to breed with, he leaves the nest-building, egg-incubation and feeding to the female.
Broad-tailed
Just over 4 inches long, the broad-tailed hummer is bronze-green with a whitish under parts and is somewhat larger than the more common ruby-throat. The outer tail feathers are rust-colored at the base, black in the middle and broadly tipped with white. The male makes a cricket-like whistle when it flies. Spotting a broad-tailed hummer in Delaware is rare as their usual home range in the summer is in the south-central Rocky Mountains.
Allen's
You will have a difficult time distinguishing an Allen's hummingbird from the much more common Rufous hummingbird. Both species are predominantly red, but the top of the male Allen's hummingbird's head is a dull metallic bronze or bronze-green. Both the male and female tail feathers are pointed, and the males' are orange with dark tips, and the females' are bronze-green with orange edges. It is unlikely you have spotted an Allen's hummingbird in Delaware as sightings are rare. Their common home range is the along the west coast of Mexico and into California.
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