Tennessee has the richest hummingbird record of any state we've covered so far — seven species confirmed, from one dependable breeder to a genuine "Regular" winter visitor to five true rarities. That range means real identification challenges show up here more than almost anywhere else: Tennessee is one of the few places in the East where a birder might actually need to separate Rufous from Allen's, or Ruby-throated from Black-chinned, rather than just assuming the common bird.

This guide sorts out which hummingbird you're actually looking at, whether that's spring, summer, or a winter long shot — 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 Tennessee hummingbird calendar.

Species grouped by frequency of sightings and official state records committee status.

The Hummingbird You're Most Likely to See

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The only hummingbird that breeds regularly anywhere in Tennessee, and the species behind the vast majority of sightings from spring through fall. At roughly 3.5 inches long and weighing about as much as a penny, it's tiny even by hummingbird standards — but unmistakable once you know what to look for.

Adult males show an emerald or golden-green back and crown over gray-white underparts, with a brilliant iridescent ruby-red throat that can look flat black until the light catches it at the right angle, 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, the quickest way to sex a bird at the feeder. 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. One Nashville yard alone had 353 individual birds banded in a single summer — a good sense of just how much traffic a well-stocked feeder can draw.

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 field mark Cornell points to on a perched bird: wing-to-tail proportions. Ruby-throated has a longer tail that extends visibly past the wingtips at rest; 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 — though this isn't foolproof either.

In practice: an unusual-looking female hummingbird in Tennessee is still far more likely to be a Ruby-throated than a genuine Black-chinned, simply on the numbers. But Black-chinned's "Casual" status here means it's a real enough possibility that the wing-to-tail check is worth knowing.

Hummingbirds in Tennessee in Winter

Ruby-throated mostly clears out for the winter, but Tennessee's feeders don't necessarily go quiet — this is where the state genuinely stands out.

Rufous Hummingbird — Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor

Per the Tennessee Bird Records Committee, Rufous is the only western hummingbird species classified "Regular" in the state — a genuine, expected part of the Tennessee winter, not a rarity. The numbers back it up: before the late 1980s there was a single confirmed Tennessee record; by winter 2007–08 there had been more than 100. Some banded individuals return to the same yard year after year.

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 green-backed above with rufous-washed flanks, rusty patches on the green tail, and often a small orange spot at the throat.

Black-chinned Hummingbird — a genuine, if less common, winter visitor

Classified "Casual" by Tennessee's records committee — a real step above a one-off, but below Rufous's regular status. Adult males show a velvety black throat edged in a thin, hard-to-see band of iridescent violet-purple, visible only at the right angle; in poor light the whole gorget simply reads as black. Females and young are, per the identification section above, effectively inseparable from female Ruby-throated without a close look at wing-to-tail proportions.

Rufous vs. Allen's: One of the Hardest Calls in North American Birding

Tennessee's confirmed record list includes both Rufous and Allen's Hummingbird, and separating them is widely regarded as one of the trickiest identification problems in the hobby — hundreds of Selasphorus hummingbirds stray east of the Rockies every fall, and telling the two apart from a distance is genuinely difficult even for experienced birders.

The unreliable myth: "orange with a green back means Allen's." Cornell notes some male Rufous also show green backs, so back color alone isn't safe. A more useful rule of thumb: if the back is less than half green, it's almost certainly Rufous.

The reliable method: tail feather shape. In Allen's, all the tail feathers are narrower than in Rufous, most noticeably the outer three; adult male Rufous also shows a distinctive notch on the second tail feather that Allen's lacks. This is genuinely hard to see in the field and is usually confirmed only when a bird is examined in the hand. Female and immature Rufous and Allen's are essentially identical without that in-hand check — which is exactly why Tennessee's own Allen's records lean on banding data rather than photographs alone.

If You're Lucky: Tennessee's Rarer Records

Keep a feeder up through winter and you're giving yourself a real shot at hosting something unusual — Tennessee's rarity list runs deeper than most states, and every entry below is a genuine, documented record, each classified "Accidental" by the Tennessee Bird Records Committee.

Calliope Hummingbird

The smallest breeding bird in North America — about half the body mass of North America's smallest songbird, the Bushtit. Adult males are unmistakable once seen well: magenta rays fan out from the throat over a white underside, with a greenish vest below. Females and immatures lack the flashy throat, showing only faint streaky spotting instead, and are easily confused with female Broad-tailed — eBird notes the safest field marks are Calliope's smaller size, shorter tail with almost no rufous color, and a thin white line above the base of the bill.

Allen's Hummingbird

See the identification section above — Allen's is genuinely one of the toughest calls in the hobby when it turns up this far from its normal Pacific Coast range. Adult males show a bronze-green back with a coppery tail, eye patch, and belly, plus a deep reddish-orange gorget. Females and immatures look almost identical to female Rufous and are reliably separated only by tail feather shape, usually confirmed in the hand.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

A Rocky Mountain species, and one whose presence is often heard before it's seen — adult males produce a distinctive, insectlike metallic trill with their wings in flight that no other Tennessee hummingbird makes. Visually, adult males show a rose-magenta gorget (not true ruby-red) and lack the dark facial mask that Ruby-throated shows; females and immatures are green above with a pale eye-ring and less rufous in the tail than a similarly-sized Rufous or Allen's.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

A species whose normal range is Arizona and Mexico, and one Cornell Lab calls unmistakable within it: a vivid red bill tipped in black, an emerald body, and a glittering sapphire-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.

Anna's Hummingbird

A Pacific Coast species and a genuine long-distance stray when it turns up in Tennessee. Adult males show an iridescent rose-pink gorget that extends up over the crown, not just the throat — no other species on this list shows color on the head itself, making a well-seen male unmistakable. Females and young are green above with a whitish throat, sometimes flecked with a few pink spots at the center.

Tennessee Hummingbirds at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

How many species of hummingbirds are in Tennessee?

Seven species have been documented in Tennessee. Ruby-throated is the only regular breeder, Rufous is the state's official "Regular" winter visitor, Black-chinned is "Casual" (turns up most winters in smaller numbers), and Anna's, Calliope, Allen's, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed are all "Accidental" — genuine one-off rarities.

Are there hummingbirds in Tennessee in winter?

Yes — Rufous Hummingbird is Tennessee's official "Regular" winter visitor, with over 100 confirmed records by 2007–08 alone. Black-chinned turns up most winters too, in smaller numbers.

How do I tell Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds apart?

It's one of the hardest identification calls in North American birding. The reliable method is tail feather shape — Allen's has narrower tail feathers throughout, and adult male Rufous shows a distinctive notch on the second tail feather that Allen's lacks — but this is usually confirmed only with the bird in hand. A simple rule of thumb: if the back is less than half green, it's almost certainly Rufous, since the "green back means Allen's" shortcut is a myth some male Rufous also show green backs.

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 (Ruby-throated's tail extends past the wingtips; Black-chinned's wings reach nearly to the tail tip).

How do I tell a Ruby-throated from a Broad-tailed Hummingbird?

Listen first — male Broad-tailed produces a distinctive metallic wing trill in flight that Ruby-throated doesn't make. Visually, Broad-tailed lacks Ruby-throated's dark facial mask and shows a rose-magenta gorget rather than true ruby-red.

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

Sources

• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Ruby-throated Hummingbird species page. Source for the sole-breeding-species confirmation, the 353-bird Nashville banding record, and historical Rufous record counts.
• Official List of the Birds of Tennessee, Tennessee Bird Records Committee (December 2024). Source for each species' official status (Regular, Casual, Accidental).
• 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 Similar Species (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for the Rufous/Allen's tail-feather and back-color field marks.
• All About Birds, Allen's Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Allen's plumage detail.
• All About Birds, Calliope Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Calliope plumage detail and size comparison.
• Birds of the World, Calliope Hummingbird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for the smallest-breeding-bird body-mass comparison.
• All About Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbird Sounds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for the diagnostic wing-trill description.
• All About Birds, Broad-billed Hummingbird Identification (Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Source for Broad-billed plumage detail.
• eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Tennessee statewide and county-level, 2016–2025.