Michigan's hummingbird checklist runs to nine species — one dependable breeder, one regular fall visitor, and seven genuine rarities, several of which have wandered thousands of miles off course to get here. That range means real identification challenges show up more often than you'd expect in a Great Lakes state: Michigan is one of the few places east of the Mississippi where a birder might actually need to separate Ruby-throated from Black-chinned, or puzzle out a purple-throated hummingbird that has no business anywhere near the Midwest.

This guide sorts out which hummingbird you're actually looking at, whether that's a backyard regular in July or a genuine long shot in November — including exactly where field identification breaks down and why. For feeder setup, native plants, and pest-safe care, see our how-to-attract guide. For exact arrival and departure windows by region, see the Michigan hummingbird calendar.

Species grouped by frequency of sightings, statewide eBird data, 2016–2025. Three additional species — White-eared, Berylline, and Mexican Violetear — have been documented in Michigan as one-off rarities too infrequent to chart or photograph reliably.

The Hummingbirds You're Most Likely to See

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Michigan's only officially native hummingbird, and the only established breeding hummingbird anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains. It's the species behind nearly every sighting in the state from late April through September.

Adult males show an emerald or golden-green back and crown over grayish-white underparts, with a brilliant iridescent ruby-red throat that can look flat black until the light catches it, and a dark, distinctly forked tail. Females and immatures carry a plain whitish throat with a rounded, black-and-white-banded tail — no red at all. Young males begin showing a scatter of red throat feathers by late summer as they molt toward adult plumage.

In flight, Ruby-throateds beat their wings roughly 50 times per second, producing the soft, low-pitched hum that often announces them before you see them.

Where you are matters. Ruby-throated arrival runs a genuine south-to-north gradient — real activity in Wayne and Kent counties by late April, while Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula doesn't catch up until early May. See the Michigan hummingbird calendar for the full regional breakdown.

Ruby-throated vs. Black-chinned: Where Identification Actually Breaks Down

Adult male Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds are usually easy to tell apart in good light — one shows a red gorget, the other a black one edged in violet-purple. But Cornell Lab's own species comparison is blunt about the rest: females and immatures of the two species are close to identical in the field. The one reliable field mark on a perched bird is wing-to-tail proportions — Ruby-throated has a longer tail that extends visibly past the wingtips at rest, while Black-chinned has longer wings that reach the tip of the tail or extend just slightly beyond it. Some birders also watch for tail-pumping: Black-chinned habitually pumps its tail while hovering, Ruby-throated tends to hold its tail still.

Black-chinned is a genuine but accidental Michigan record — officially added to the state checklist after a documented sighting, per the Michigan Bird Records Committee. So an unusual-looking female hummingbird here is worth a second look, even though Ruby-throated remains the far more likely explanation by a wide margin.

Michigan Hummingbirds in Winter

Ruby-throated clears out of Michigan almost entirely by October, but the state's fall and winter aren't hummingbird-free — they just belong to a different species.

Rufous Hummingbird — the regular fall visitor

A fiery orange western species that turns up in small numbers most years, mostly October into November, occasionally lingering into December. It's regular enough that the Michigan Bird Records Committee no longer requires documentation for it. If a hummingbird shows up at your feeder in November, it's very likely this species rather than a lingering Ruby-throated.

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.

If You're Lucky: Michigan's True Rarities

Keep a feeder up into fall and you're giving yourself a real shot at hosting something genuinely unusual. Every species below is an accepted Michigan state record, per the Michigan Bird Records Committee's official checklist.

Anna's Hummingbird

A Pacific Coast specialist and Michigan's most remarkable recent record — one individual was confirmed in Arcadia, Manistee County, in January 2025, a genuine long-distance stray with no business anywhere near the Great Lakes. Adult males show an iridescent rose-red gorget that extends up over the crown, not just the throat — no other species on this list shows color on the head itself. Females and young are green above with a whitish throat, sometimes flecked with a few red spots.

Costa's Hummingbird

A desert Southwest specialist and a genuine rarity in Michigan. Adult males have an iridescent purple crown and gorget that flares wildly out to the sides like an oversized mustache, over a green back and a green-washed vest. Females and immatures are greenish above with a white eyebrow stripe, a grayish cheek patch, and whitish underparts. The easiest way to separate Costa's from Anna's: Costa's gorget is purple and flares sideways rather than covering the crown, and Costa's is a smaller, more compact bird with a hunched posture and wings that barely extend past the tail at rest, per Cornell Lab's comparison.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

A genuine rarity here, with a normal range centered on Arizona and Mexico. Cornell Lab calls it unmistakable within that range: a vivid red bill tipped in black, an emerald body, and a glittering blue throat on adult males — no other North American hummingbird combines a red bill with a blue gorget. Females are duller, with grayish underparts and that same telltale red-and-black bill.

White-eared Hummingbird

Normally a bird of Mexican mountain forests that visits southeastern Arizona in small numbers — Cornell Lab specifically names Michigan among the far-flung states where individuals have turned up on rare occasions. Both sexes show a bold white stripe running down behind the eye against an otherwise dark head. In good light, adult males reveal a glowing violet face and glittering green throat that can look nearly black from a distance; females have a browner cap and whitish underparts flecked with green.

Berylline Hummingbird

A Mexican highland species and one of Michigan's most unexpected records. Both sexes show a bronze-green to coppery head, a green-and-blue back, and a distinctive cinnamon-colored belly — that warm rufous belly against an otherwise green bird is the best field mark. The bill is straight and mostly black with a pinkish base to the lower mandible.

Mexican Violetear

A relatively large, all-green hummingbird of Central American and Mexican highlands, and an increasingly regular (if still rare) wanderer into the U.S. in recent years. Look for deep green plumage overall with a glittering violet patch on the ear and chest, a blue-green tail crossed by a broad dark band, and a mostly straight black bill. Often located by voice before it's seen — a persistent, metallic chipping song given from an exposed perch.

Michigan Hummingbirds at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

How many species of hummingbirds are in Michigan?

Nine species have been documented in Michigan, per the Michigan Bird Records Committee's official checklist. Ruby-throated is the only regular breeder, Rufous is the regular fall/winter visitor, and Black-chinned, Anna's, Costa's, Broad-billed, White-eared, Berylline, and Mexican Violetear are all genuine rarities.

Are there hummingbirds in Michigan in winter?

Almost never, but not quite never. Rufous is the regular fall visitor, most common October and November. True winter rarities are vanishingly unlikely in any given year, but Michigan has had at least one remarkable exception: an Anna's Hummingbird confirmed in Arcadia, Manistee County, in January 2025.

How do I tell Ruby-throated and Black-chinned Hummingbirds apart?

Adult males are the easy case: Ruby-throated shows a red gorget, Black-chinned shows a black throat with a thin violet-purple band at the base. Females and young are effectively inseparable in the field — Cornell Lab points to wing-to-tail proportions as the one useful field mark.

What is that purple-throated hummingbird I saw in Michigan?

Two Michigan rarities show purple: Costa's Hummingbird (a flared, mustache-like purple gorget on a small, compact bird) and Anna's Hummingbird, whose gorget is actually rose-red rather than purple and extends up over the crown. If the purple color wraps the head rather than just the throat, look again — that head-color pattern is unique to Anna's on Michigan's list.

What is that red-billed hummingbird I saw in Michigan?

Two Michigan rarities have red-based bills: Broad-billed Hummingbird (vivid blue throat, emerald body, bill fully red with a black tip) and White-eared Hummingbird (bold white ear stripe, red only at the base of the bill). The ear stripe and throat color are the easiest way to tell them apart.

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

Sources

• Michigan Bird Records Committee, Michigan Checklist. Source for official species status (regular, casual, accidental) for every hummingbird on Michigan's state list.
• All About Birds, Ruby-throated Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for plumage, size, and behavior detail.
• All About Birds, Ruby-throated Hummingbird Similar Species (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for the Ruby-throated/Black-chinned wing-to-tail field mark.
• All About Birds, Rufous Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Rufous plumage detail.
• All About Birds, Anna's Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Anna's plumage detail.
• All About Birds, Costa's Hummingbird Identification and Similar Species (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Costa's plumage detail and the Costa's/Anna's comparison.
• All About Birds, Broad-billed Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Broad-billed plumage detail.
• All About Birds, White-eared Hummingbird Overview and Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for plumage detail and the explicit mention of Michigan as a far-flung vagrant record.
• Audubon Field Guide, Berylline Hummingbird. Source for Berylline plumage detail.
• Audubon Field Guide, Mexican Violetear. Source for Mexican Violetear plumage and voice detail.

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 Michigan, most answers online stop at "Ruby-throated, plus some rare ones," without ever naming the rare ones or explaining how to tell a genuine record from a lookalike. We built this page to give a direct, sourced answer: the complete, officially documented list, with real identification detail for every species on it, not a vague gesture at "rarities."

How We Created This

We pulled eBird bar chart data for Michigan statewide, 2016 through 2025, to establish which species show a real, measurable presence. Only Ruby-throated and Rufous cleared a level worth calling out individually with hard numbers; everything else on Michigan's list either showed up as an isolated single-week blip in that window or never appeared in it at all. For those species, we cross-checked against the Michigan Bird Records Committee's official state checklist rather than relying on eBird frequency alone — Rufous, for instance, has a genuine, broad multi-week presence across many falls even though its peak weekly percentage sits below where a raw frequency cutoff would normally draw the line, which is exactly why shape (steady presence across weeks) matters more than a single peak number when deciding what counts as a real pattern versus noise. The species grid above uses that same logic: only species with a real, chartable pattern get a tier and a photo, and every photo is individually verified for accurate plumage and coloring before it goes on the page. The seven true rarities are named individually with real field marks sourced from Cornell Lab and Audubon, not lumped into a single "other rarities" paragraph. For arrival and departure timing by region, that's a separate, original analysis on our Michigan hummingbird calendar page.