Types Of Hummingbirds In Mississippi: Complete Guide 2026

Mississippi sits at a crossroads of hummingbird migration routes, and the diversity of species passing through our state has grown beyond what most birders realize. The Mississippi Bird Records Committee currently recognizes twelve species on the official state list, and every fall brings new surprises to the Gulf Coast.

What began as a quiet presence in our gardens has expanded into a genuine seasonal phenomenon. The Magnolia State now hosts breeding populations, reliable wintering birds, and a parade of western vagrants that have shifted eastward over the past two decades. For Mississippi hummingbird species, the picture is far richer than a single summer resident would suggest.

Whether you’re scanning your backyard feeder in Jackson, monitoring a coastal patch near Biloxi, or chasing rare reports from the Hills region, this updated guide reflects what Mississippi birders are actually seeing in 2026. I’ll cover identification, timing, MBRC classification, and the native plants that keep these tiny migrants coming back.

A quick note on optics: when you start noticing subtle gorget differences between similar species, having a good pair of quality binoculars for bird watching changes everything. Close focus distance matters more than magnification for hummingbirds.

Mississippi Hummingbird Species List and Status Classification

Before we dive into individual species, it helps to understand how birders and the Mississippi Bird Records Committee categorize sightings. Status codes tell you whether a species is expected, unusual, or truly exceptional, and they matter when you’re reporting rare birds through eBird or to MBRC directly.

The following table reflects the current Mississippi hummingbird species list as recognized by the Mississippi Bird Records Committee, with status tiers drawn from MBRC data and eBird frequency analysis.

Species	Scientific Name	Status	Season
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Regular / Breeding	March to October
Rufous Hummingbird	Selasphorus rufus	Regular / Winter Visitor	October to March
Black-chinned Hummingbird	Archilochus alexandri	Rare / Winter Visitor	November to February
Buff-bellied Hummingbird	Amazilia yucatanensis	Rare / Winter Visitor	November to February
Calliope Hummingbird	Stellula calliope	Casual / Winter Visitor	October to March
Broad-tailed Hummingbird	Selasphorus platycercus	Casual / Migrant	April, September to October
Anna’s Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Casual / Winter Visitor	November to February
Allen’s Hummingbird	Selasphorus sasin	Casual / Migrant	September to March
Broad-billed Hummingbird	Cynanthus latirostris	Accidental	Variable
White-eared Hummingbird	Hylocharis leucotis	Accidental	Variable
Mexican Violetear	Colibri thalassinus	Accidental	Summer to Fall
Green-breasted Mango	Anthracothorax prevostii	Accidental / Banded	Winter 2022 to 2023

Three terms to keep in mind: “Regular” species show up predictably each year, “Casual” species appear occasionally outside their normal range, and “Accidental” species have only a handful of confirmed records on file. The MBRC reviews sightings in the casual and accidental categories before they appear on the official Mississippi hummingbird species list.

Common Hummingbirds in Mississippi

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: The Only Breeding Species

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) anchors every discussion of Mississippi hummingbird species. It is the only hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River, and our state sits firmly within its core summer range. From the Piney Woods to the Delta, these three-gram birds fill gardens, forest edges, and clearings between late March and mid-October.

Males wear the signature ruby-red gorget that appears black in shade and ignites in direct sunlight. Females show a clean white throat, emerald-green back, and rounded tail with white tips. In flight, both sexes beat their wings roughly 53 times per second, producing the hum that gives the family its name.

Spring migration peaks during the first three weeks of April, and by late August the southbound push is already underway. I have counted more than 30 individuals swarming a single feeder in early September, draining a quart of nectar in an afternoon. Fall migration in Mississippi often rivals the spring flight in numbers, particularly along the Mississippi River corridor.

Ruby-throats build walnut-sized nests on horizontal branches, often over water, and produce two broods in a normal Mississippi summer. They prefer native flowers, but they visit sugar-water feeders aggressively once they learn the location. Watching a male perform his pendulum display dive, arcing 30 feet above a female before plunging in a rush of sound, is one of the Southeast’s signature natural events.

Rufous Hummingbird: Mississippi’s Reliable Winter Visitor

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) has rewritten what Mississippi birders expect from winter. Once considered a rare western stray, the species now shows up every season along the Gulf Coast and increasingly inland. The first arrivals typically appear in late October, and many individuals overwinter through early March.

Adult males are unmistakable: bright copper-orange across the back, sides, and tail, with a glowing red-orange gorget. Females wear a green back but show rufous washes along the flanks and a small orange-red central throat spot. Both sexes have shorter, more rounded wings than Ruby-throats and a habit of pumping the tail while perched, a behavior that helps separate them from other Selasphorus species in the field.

Rufous hummingbirds are famously aggressive. A single male will often claim every feeder on a property and challenge much larger birds, including woodpeckers and jays. Coastal Hancock and Harrison counties host the highest concentration of wintering individuals, but reports have climbed steadily from Hattiesburg, Jackson, and even Tupelo over the past decade.

Birders who keep fresh nectar available through November and December frequently discover a Rufous in their yard that has been visiting for weeks without notice. The species’ tolerance for cold weather is exceptional for a hummingbird, and banded individuals have returned to the same Mississippi yards in consecutive winters.

Black-chinned Hummingbird: The Winter Visitor

The Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) was once labeled a “rare summer guest” in Mississippi, but the truth is the opposite. The species has emerged as a regular winter visitor along our southern counties, with most confirmed records falling between November and February. Updated MBRC review and eBird frequency data now place it firmly in the rare-but-regular winter tier.

Adult males appear dark-headed at first glance, but a well-placed sunbeam reveals a deep violet band along the lower edge of the gorget that looks black in flat light. Females and immatures are nearly identical to female Ruby-throats, which is exactly why careful observation, photography, and bander confirmation matter. The slightly broader tail, longer bill, and a soft “tchew” chip note are useful clues.

The first Mississippi specimen was collected in 1959, and accepted records have accelerated sharply since 2010. Most confirmed sightings come from the coastal counties, with scattered winter reports from Jones, Forrest, and Lamar counties in the Piney Woods. Birders who maintain feeders through the winter stand a reasonable chance of attracting one.

For separating a winter Black-chinned from a Ruby-throat, I recommend a slow, careful approach with steady binoculars for hummingbird watching at 8x magnification or higher. Photographing the spread tail and the gorget angle pays off, especially when you upload the shots to the Hummingbird Central or Facebook rare-bird groups for second opinions.

Rare and Vagrant Hummingbirds in Mississippi

Rare hummingbirds are no longer a once-a-decade event in Mississippi. Winter feeder projects along the coast, increased birder coverage, and a real eastward expansion of several western species have turned November through March into a genuine rarity season. Most of the records below have been confirmed by capture and banding, which is the gold standard for hummingbird identification.

Calliope Hummingbird

The Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula calliope) is North America’s smallest breeding bird, tipping the scale at around 2.5 grams. Despite that tiny size, the species shows up in Mississippi with surprising regularity. Most accepted records fall between October and March, often at backyard feeders that the homeowner maintained through the cold months.

Adult males carry streaked magenta gorget rays against a white background, a pattern no other North American hummingbird shares. Females and immatures are subtle: small size, short tail, and a finely streaked throat. Banders rely heavily on measurements, especially wing chord, to confirm the species, since several other small hummingbirds can look similar in the field.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) breeds at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains and winters in Mexico. In Mississippi it is a casual migrant, with accepted records scattered across spring and fall. Adult males produce a distinctive metallic wing trill in flight, a sound I will never forget the first time I heard it echoing off a Mississippi porch in October.

Both sexes have wider tails than other Selasphorus hummingbirds, giving the species its name. Green backs, white underparts, and a rufous wash in the tail help separate them from Ruby-throats when lighting is poor. Most Mississippi records come from the northern counties during migration.

Other Documented Rare Species

Beyond the species above, the Mississippi Bird Records Committee has accepted additional records that round out the state’s hummingbird species list:

• Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis) – Regular winter visitor along the Gulf Coast, identifiable by its buff belly, red bill with black tip, and iridescent green throat.
• Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) – Casual winter visitor, with several accepted coastal records. Adult males flash a rose-red crown and gorget unlike any other species in our area.
• Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) – Casual migrant, extremely difficult to separate from Rufous in the field. Most Mississippi records are pending or accepted only with bander measurements.
• White-eared Hummingbird (Hylocharis leucotis) – Accidental. One accepted MBRC record from coastal Mississippi, a Mexican species with a bold white ear stripe and violet crown.
• Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus) – Accidental. A handful of accepted records, mostly from late summer, involving a large green hummingbird with violet ear patches.
• Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) – Accidental. Recognized by red bill, blue throat, and broad tail; only one or two accepted Mississippi records on file.
• Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) – Accidental. A tropical species with a single accepted record: a first-year male captured and banded in Hancock County during the 2022-23 winter season. The capture was confirmed by the Banding Coalition of the Americas and represents one of very few inland United States records for the species. Details were published by the Clarion-Ledger and reviewed by the Mississippi Bird Records Committee.

Mississippi Hummingbird Migration Calendar

Mississippi’s hummingbird calendar runs on two overlapping tracks. Breeding Ruby-throats move north in spring and south in fall, while western vagrants drift east and south as their own seasons wind down. The result is a near-continuous parade of species, with at least one hummingbird species possible in any month of the year.

Here is how the year typically breaks down across the state, based on eBird data and MBRC records:

Month	Primary Species	Activity Level	Notes
February	Rufous, rare wintering species	Low to Medium	Early Ruby-throat arrivals on coast
March	Ruby-throated, Rufous	High	Spring migration peak begins
April	Ruby-throated, Broad-tailed	Very High	Breeding season gets underway
May to July	Ruby-throated	Medium	Nesting and fledging across the state
August	Ruby-throated	Medium	Southbound migration begins
September	Ruby-throated, Allen’s, Broad-tailed	Very High	Fall migration peak
October	Ruby-throated, Rufous, Calliope	High	Species overlap period
November to December	Rufous, Black-chinned, Buff-bellied	Medium	Winter residents establish territories
January	Rufous, Black-chinned, Anna’s	Low to Medium	Winter viewing along the Gulf Coast

Birders along the Mississippi Gulf Coast hummingbirds corridor report the strongest winter activity, while inland counties see the heaviest spring and fall passage. The Natchez Trace Parkway, especially around mileposts 50 to 100, is a productive mid-state watchpoint during both migrations.

How to Identify Mississippi Hummingbirds

Field identification hinges on a handful of features: gorget color, back color, tail shape, vocalizations, and behavior. A working knowledge of the common species makes the rare ones far easier to detect, because you know what to compare against.

Key Identification Features

1. Gorget color and pattern: Ruby-throats glow ruby red, Rufous shows copper-orange, Black-chinned shows a violet band that reads black in shade, Calliope males show streaked magenta rays on white.
2. Back and flank color: Green backs dominate across Archilochus species, copper backs are almost exclusively Rufous, and Buff-bellied shows a buff lower belly and red bill.
3. Tail shape and motion: Rufous and other Selasphorus pump their tails while perched. Ruby-throats flare their forked tails during display dives.
4. Sound: Broad-tailed males produce a metallic wing trill absent in other Mississippi species. The chip notes of Black-chinned are softer than those of Ruby-throats.
5. Behavior: Rufous are aggressively territorial, Ruby-throats are moderately so, and Black-chinned tend to feed quietly and often visit flowers more than feeders.

Male vs Female Identification

Sex adds another layer to the puzzle. Adult males usually show fully developed gorgets, while females and immatures wear partial streaking or plain white throats. Some immatures develop partial gorgets during their first winter, which complicates identification, especially in the Selasphorus genus. When in doubt, photographing the spread tail and uploading the image to a hummingbird ID group is often the fastest path to a confident call.

Native Plants for Attracting Hummingbirds in Mississippi

Feeders are excellent for winter coverage and for keeping vagrants in the area, but native plants power the breeding season and support a far broader insect diet for raising young. Gardeners in Mississippi have a strong palette of native options that bloom in succession from March through October.

Three of the most reliable hummingbird plants in Mississippi gardens are red buckeye (Aesculus pavia), cross vine (Bignonia capreolata), and coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). All three are native to the state, thrive in full sun to part shade, and bloom early enough to support spring migrants.

• Red buckeye: One of the earliest-blooming hummingbird plants in the South. The tubular red flowers appear before the leaves in many years and provide crucial fuel for early Ruby-throats in March.
• Cross vine: A vigorous native vine that climbs fences and trees. Trumpet-shaped orange-red flowers cover the plant in April and May, drawing both Ruby-throats and rare spring vagrants.
• Coral honeysuckle: A well-behaved native vine with tubular red flowers from spring into summer. Hummingbirds visit it repeatedly, and the foliage hosts moth caterpillars that feed nestlings.
• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa): Lavender-pink blooms in mid to late summer, providing nectar when Ruby-throat families are feeding fledglings.
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis): Brilliant red late-summer blooms in moist soils, a magnet for southbound migrants in September.
• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis): Creamy globe-shaped flowers in wetlands and rain gardens, attractive to hummingbirds and pollinators alike.

Layering bloom times keeps nectar available from early spring through the first frost, and it reduces your dependence on any single feeder. Plantings near a window or porch also create natural photography opportunities without the logistics of a feeder setup.

Best Locations to Watch Hummingbirds in Mississippi

Where you are in the state changes what you can realistically expect. Coastal locations dominate the winter season, while inland sites shine during spring and fall migration. A few destinations consistently produce high-quality sightings.

• Strawberry Plains Audubon Center (Marshall County): A flagship inland hummingbird banding site in north Mississippi. The center hosts public banding demonstrations during spring and fall migration, and visitors can see Ruby-throats and occasional vagrants in the hand.
• Pascagoula River Audubon Center: Located on the coast where the Pascagoula River meets the Gulf, this center is a winter hot spot for Rufous, Black-chinned, and Buff-bellied hummingbirds. Their native plant gardens are a model for attracting Mississippi hummingbird species year-round.
• Natchez Trace Parkway (mileposts 50 to 180): Forest edges along the Trace host breeding Ruby-throats in summer and serve as a migrant corridor in spring and fall. The hardwood canopy and abundant wildflowers make roadside stops productive.
• Gulf Islands National Seashore: Winter feeder projects on the barrier islands and at the Davis Bayou area have produced multiple rare species, including Anna’s and Mexican Violetear.
• Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge: A strong inland migration watchpoint with a mix of forest, edge, and open habitat that draws Ruby-throats and occasional western strays.

For Mississippi hummingbird species list coverage, try a coastal winter trip first, then a spring Natchez Trace drive, and you will see a strong cross-section of what the state offers. Backyard feeders at home, maintained year-round, can fill in the gaps.

Hummingbird Photography Tips for Mississippi Enthusiasts

Photographing hummingbirds is one of the most rewarding challenges in wildlife photography, and Mississippi’s mild climate gives you a longer shooting season than most states. After years of practice, here is the workflow that produces the most consistent results.

Essential Equipment

Start by studying the birds with a good pair of budget binoculars for hummingbird watching before you ever raise a camera. Understanding the bird’s approach angle and timing pays off in sharper frames. For shooting, a mirrorless or DSLR body paired with a 200mm to 600mm lens is the workhorse setup. A speedlight with a better-beamer or a multi-flash arrangement freezes wing motion while keeping the background natural.

When you cannot get close enough to a feeder, a spotting scope comparison helps you decide whether a scope or binoculars serve the situation better. For long-distance observation at wildlife refuges, spotting scopes for distant hummingbird viewing offer a stable, high-magnification option that pairs with phone adapters for digiscoping.

Techniques That Work

A multi-flash setup with three or four units positioned around a feeder produces the most reliable hummingbird photos. Use a shutter speed of 1/1000s or faster, an aperture between f/8 and f/11, and a low ISO for clean backgrounds. Patience is non-negotiable. I have waited hours for a single male to land at the right angle, but the keepers justify every minute.

For natural-looking images, remove the feeder cap and tuck a fresh flower into the feeding port. The bird behaves exactly as it would at a wild bloom, but you control the position and the light. Shooting from a low angle, slightly below the bird, gives the gorget its best chance to catch the sun.

Citizen Science and Reporting Rare Hummingbirds

Every sighting you submit matters, especially for the rare and accidental species on the Mississippi hummingbird species list. The Mississippi Bird Records Committee relies on detailed documentation to maintain an accurate state list, and eBird frequency data shapes the status tiers birders reference every season.

When you find a suspected rarity, photograph the gorget, the spread tail, and the underparts if possible. Note the location, time of day, and the feeder or flower the bird is using. Submit the observation to eBird with photos and a written description. For species requiring review, the Mississippi Bird Records Committee accepts documentation through the MBRC website and Audubon Delta.

Banding events hosted by Strawberry Plains Audubon Center and other partner organizations offer the chance to see hummingbirds in the hand and contribute to ongoing research. Banders record species, age, and sex, and recaptures of the same individual in different seasons help scientists map winter site fidelity along the Gulf Coast hummingbirds corridor.

If you keep feeders up through the winter, the simplest contribution is reporting what shows up. Even a regular Rufous sighting builds the eBird dataset, and your record might confirm a returning banded bird or a new winter territory for the species. Citizen science has driven most of what we now know about Mississippi hummingbird species list composition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Recommendations

Mississippi sits in a remarkable position for hummingbird diversity, and that position is only getting better as more birders keep winter feeders active and submit their sightings. The combination of a regular breeder, a reliable winter visitor, and a long list of casual and accidental species makes this state a year-round destination for hummingbird watching.

If you are just getting started, plant a few Mississippi natives like red buckeye and coral honeysuckle, hang a clean feeder in early March, and keep it up through December. Watch for the gorget flashes in spring and the unexpected arrivals in winter. As your interest grows, consider upgrading your optics for hummingbird photography and join a local Audubon chapter for banding events and rare bird alerts.

Every observation you submit through eBird strengthens the data behind the Mississippi hummingbird species list. The state list grew from a handful of records to twelve species in part because ordinary birders took the time to document what they saw. The next rare vagrant might show up at your feeder, and your photo and notes could be the one that earns it a permanent place on the list. The diversity of hummingbird species in Mississippi is genuinely special, and the birding community is the reason we know it.