Rufous Hummingbird

About the Rufous Hummingbird

The rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a small hummingbird, about 8 cm (3 in) long with a long, straight and slender bill. These birds are known for their extraordinary flight skills, flying 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) during their migratory transits. It is one of nine species in the genus Selasphorus.

The rufous hummingbird was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus. He coined the binomial name Trochilus rufus. Gmelin based his description on the ruff-necked hummingbird described by John Latham in 1782 and the ruffed honeysucker described by Thomas Pennant in 1785.

The type locality given by Gmelin was Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island in western Canada. However, breeding was estimated to occur in northwestern North America and wintering in westcentral Mexico. The rufous hummingbird is now placed with eight other species in the genus Selasphorus that was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William Swainson. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek selas meaning... Wikipedia →