Hummingbirds in Georgia: The Complete Guide to All 13 Species

Georgia's records committee has confirmed 13 hummingbird species — tied with Alabama for the most of any state in the Southeast, and including genuine oddities like a specimen-backed Green-breasted Mango and a Blue-throated Mountain-gem that Cornell ranks among "the rarest of the rare" eastern vagrant hummingbirds anywhere. One dependable year-round resident, two real winter regulars, and ten documented rarities ranging from genuinely recurring to true once-in-a-generation records.

All 13 documented Georgia hummingbird species, grouped by tier — cross-checked against the Georgia Ornithological Society's Checklist and Records Committee (GCRC) Review List.

The Hummingbird You're Most Likely to See

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Resident

Georgia's only breeding hummingbird, and a genuine year-round resident along the coast. Retired Georgia DNR biologist Terry Johnson personally banded wintering birds "from the Georgia coast to as far west as Thomasville," noting the species is rarely seen elsewhere in the state during winter. Statewide checklist activity peaks near 40.4% in the warm months.

Quick ID: Adult males show a brilliant iridescent ruby-red throat that can look flat black until light hits it directly, paired with an emerald-green back. Females and immatures lack the red throat, showing a plain whitish throat and a rounded, white-tipped tail instead.

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Ruby-throated holds this yard nearly year-round on the coast, defending it through the whole breeding season and beyond. Charm Redwood Swing gives your resident bird a real perch to do that from.

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Georgia's Regular Migrant and Winter Visitors

Two species show up in Georgia reliably enough every winter that neither requires documentation with the state's records committee — real, expected parts of the Georgia hummingbird season.

Rufous Hummingbird Migrant/Winter

Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division puts it plainly: "By far, it is the hummingbird most commonly seen in Georgia throughout the winter." In some years, 75 to 100 individual Rufous Hummingbirds are reported statewide. The first Georgia record dates to Athens, August 1978.

Adult males are unmistakable — fiery coppery-orange overall with an iridescent orange-red throat — and famously aggressive, chasing off other hummingbirds regardless of size difference. Females and immatures are trickier: green-backed above, with rufous-washed flanks and a rusty patch at the base of the tail.

Quick ID: Adult males are almost entirely coppery-orange with a glowing orange-red throat, and the only largely rufous-backed hummingbird in North America; females and immatures are green-backed with rufous-washed flanks.

Black-chinned Hummingbird Migrant/Winter

Genuinely regular but low-density — the Georgia Ornithological Society's own Review List conspicuously excludes this species while listing nearly every other western hummingbird as requiring documentation, confirming it as an expected winter presence. Fewer than five are typically reported statewide each winter, so regular doesn't mean common.

Quick ID: Adult males show a velvety black throat with a thin band of iridescent purple visible only at the right angle — otherwise it reads as solid black. Females are essentially identical to female Ruby-throated except for longer wings that reach nearly to the tail tip.

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Rufous and Black-chinned both show up looking for a station of their own once Ruby-throated thins out for the winter — and Rufous especially won't share. AspenPerch Feeder gives your winter visitors somewhere to land without a fight.

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Georgia's Recurring Rarities

Two species turn up across enough separate years and individuals that "rare" doesn't mean "once." Both remain genuine Georgia Ornithological Society review-list rarities requiring documentation every time.

Anna's Hummingbird Rare / Casual Visitor

Placed on GOS's Regular Review List rather than the Provisional list — meaning the committee's own records confirm at least 4 accepted sightings, more than an older, now-outdated wildlife-agency estimate of "only three." A genuine, if uncommon, recurring visitor.

Quick ID: The only North American hummingbird with a fully colored crown as well as throat — males glow rose-pink from head to throat. Females show a central patch of rose-red spotting on an otherwise plain throat, with a stocky, broad-tailed build.

Allen's Hummingbird Rare / Casual Visitor

Scattered vagrants across multiple different years — a genuine, if thin, statewide pattern rather than one recurring site. Georgia's best-documented record turned out to be a bird banded in Tennessee just weeks earlier: a Cartersville bird banded January 1994 was a recapture of one banded near Knoxville the previous December, roughly 125 km north.

Quick ID: Adult males show a coppery tail, eye patch, and belly against a bronze-green back, with a deep reddish-orange gorget. Females and immatures are extremely difficult to separate from female Rufous without a bird in hand.

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If You're Lucky: Georgia's Historic Rarities

Eight more species have been formally accepted onto Georgia's official review list — each with real, documented evidence, though far thinner and more isolated than the species above.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird Historic / Accidental

Georgia's own quarterly journal, The Oriole, explicitly documented a female at St. Simons Island feeders in January 2010 as "providing only the second record for the state." Since then, additional documented sightings have followed in Lowndes County (2019, twice) and Glynn County (2022) — real, if scattered, evidence beyond that single confirmed second record.

Quick ID: A striking red bill tipped in black is the giveaway on both sexes; an iridescent blue-green throat, buff-colored belly, and a rufous tail that flashes chestnut in flight round out the picture.

Calliope Hummingbird Historic / Accidental

Three separately GCRC-numbered records all cluster in the same winter, 2006–07: a returning male at a Decatur feeder in early December, a juvenile at the same Decatur feeder later that month, and a bird present at a Savannah feeder from mid-December into February. A real cluster of activity in one season, not a spread-out recurring pattern.

Quick ID: North America's smallest breeding hummingbird, with a hunched posture and short tail. Males have a unique streaked, ray-like magenta throat unlike any other species' solid gorget. Females are tiny even by hummingbird standards, with a peachy wash across the underparts and fine green stippling on the throat.

Broad-billed Hummingbird Historic / Accidental

Georgia DNR describes this species directly as "an accidental winter visitor to the Peach State" — confirmed as a genuine documentation-required review species by the state's own official Review List.

Quick ID: A vivid red bill tipped in black is diagnostic on both sexes; adult males add a shimmering blue throat and rich green body. Females are golden-green above and gray below, with a white line behind the eye.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird Historic / Accidental

Georgia's one confirmed accepted record: a bird banded by Rusty Trump in Mableton, Cobb County, in December 2006, remaining through the season and seen by many observers before departing. Nothing recorded since.

Quick ID: Adult males have a rose-magenta throat and produce a distinctive high metallic trill with their wings in flight, audible before the bird is visible. Females closely resemble female Rufous but lack the extensive rufous wash on the flanks.

Green-breasted Mango Historic / Accidental

Georgia's only accepted record is specimen-backed: a hatch-year male present at a Dublin, Laurens County feeder from late October 2007 into April 2008, banded shortly after arrival and preserved as specimen GMNH 7074 at the Georgia Museum of Natural History. Genuinely one of the continent's most striking hummingbirds, and one that's never returned.

Quick ID: A bold black stripe runs from chin to belly on both sexes, bordered by shimmering bluish-green — a pattern unlike any other North American hummingbird; the tail flashes reddish-purple to magenta, and the bird is notably larger and more robust than Georgia's other hummingbirds.

Mexican Violetear Historic / Accidental

Georgia's only sight record: Thomasville, July 2001. The bird was never photographed or captured — not because the sighting is in doubt, but because that's specifically why GOS keeps it on the Provisional list rather than the confirmed Regular checklist. The observation itself isn't questioned; it just never met the specimen-or-photograph documentation standard.

Quick ID: Both sexes look essentially alike — an all-green hummingbird with a glittering violet patch across the ear coverts and upper chest, and a blackish band crossing the blue-green tail.

Blue-throated Mountain-gem Historic / Accidental

Cornell and eBird rank this species among "the rarest of the rare" eastern vagrant hummingbirds — a far weaker disperser than Rufous, Calliope, or Black-chinned. Georgia's one confirmed accepted record predates the committee's easily searchable online archive, so an exact date and county aren't independently confirmed here — but its place on the official Regular Review List means real documentation exists on file with the committee.

Quick ID: A dark, unmistakable throat patch of deep blue is diagnostic on adult males, paired with bold white stripes above and below the eye. One of the largest North American hummingbirds — both sexes are notably big and long-billed compared to any other species on this list.

Rivoli's Hummingbird Historic / Accidental

Reported only twice in Georgia's history, at St. Catherines Island and in Winder — genuinely Georgia's thinnest-documented species on this list, with exact dates not independently confirmed here. Its place on GOS's official Regular Review List confirms real accepted evidence exists in the committee's own records.

Quick ID: One of the largest North American hummingbirds. Adult males show a black-looking body that flashes an iridescent violet crown and emerald-green throat at the right angle. Females are large, dull grayish-green birds with a pale eyebrow stripe and a white spot behind the eye.

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Whether it's Georgia's next confirmed rarity or just a hungry migrant passing through, real nectar sources are what turn a passerby into a repeat visitor. Wildflower Seed gives any hummingbird — common or exceptionally rare — natural blooms to come back to.

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Georgia Hummingbirds at a Glance

Ruby-throated's dominance here isn't a close call — statewide eBird frequency peaks near 40.4%, and every other confirmed species stays well under 0.5% at true statewide scale. With a gap this wide, a bar chart wouldn't show anything the table below doesn't already say plainly, so this section skips straight to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many species of hummingbirds are in Georgia?

Thirteen species have been documented in Georgia — tied with Alabama for the most of any state in the Southeast. Ruby-throated is the only breeder and a genuine year-round coastal resident; Rufous and Black-chinned are regular winter visitors; Anna's and Allen's are genuinely recurring rarities; and eight more species, including a specimen-backed Green-breasted Mango, are historic one-offs.

What is the most common hummingbird in Georgia in winter?

Rufous Hummingbird, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources — described as "by far" the hummingbird most commonly seen in the state throughout winter, with 75 to 100 individuals reported statewide in some years.

Are there hummingbirds in Georgia year-round?

Yes — a genuine Ruby-throated population winters along the Georgia coast and in the Thomasville area, documented directly by state wildlife biologists banding birds through the cold months.

What is the rarest hummingbird ever recorded in Georgia?

Rivoli's Hummingbird and Blue-throated Mountain-gem are Georgia's thinnest-documented species — Rivoli's reported only twice in state history, and Blue-throated Mountain-gem ranked by Cornell and eBird among "the rarest of the rare" eastern hummingbird vagrants anywhere.

For feeder setup, nectar ratios, and native plants that support these species, head back to our how-to-attract-hummingbirds-in-Georgia guide. For region-by-region arrival and departure windows, see the Georgia hummingbird calendar.

Why We Created This

Pop's Birding has been helping hummingbird lovers for three generations. One of the questions our customers ask most often is "What hummingbirds are actually in my state?" — and for Georgia, that answer runs deeper than most: 13 documented species, tied with Alabama for the Southeast's richest list, including specimen-backed rarities and records so thin they're still being tracked down in the state ornithological society's own archives. We built this page to give a direct, sourced answer, distinguishing genuinely recurring visitors from true once-in-a-lifetime records.

How We Created This

We pulled eBird bar chart data for Georgia statewide to establish which species show a real, measurable presence at genuine statewide scale — meaning large, representative sample sizes, not a handful of local checklists. Only Ruby-throated cleared a meaningful bar; every other species measured under 0.5% at true statewide scale. We cross-checked every rare and historic species directly against the Georgia Ornithological Society's Checklist and Records Committee (GCRC) Review List, and against The Oriole, the society's own quarterly journal, which supplied genuine record-level detail — specific dates, banders, and locations — for several species that consumer sources only described in vague terms. Where a specific record's date or county couldn't be independently confirmed at a Tier 1/2 source, we said so plainly rather than repeating an unverified claim as fact.

Sources

• Georgia Ornithological Society, Checklist and Records Committee (GCRC) Review List. Source for which species require documentation and their Regular vs. Provisional status.
• Georgia Ornithological Society, 2023 Official State Checklist. Source for all 13 species on this page.
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. Source for winter-presence descriptions and species status framing.
• Georgia DNR, "Out My Backdoor" (Terry W. Johnson). Source for Rufous and Ruby-throated winter-banding detail.
• eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Georgia statewide.