Apparent Hybrid Ruby-throated × Rufous Hummingbirds in Western Canada

We present six observations, including photographs, of at least four individual hummingbirds from Alberta and British Columbia that we have identified as hybrids between the Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris) and Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) Hummingbirds, a hybrid combination currently poorly documented in the literature. Diagnostic features include the shapes of the primaries, the colors and relative lengths of the rectrices, and the gorget in the males. This hybrid combination adds to an already long list of hybrids between sympatric hummingbirds, many between species ascribed to different genera, as in this example. Field identification of hybrid hummingbirds, especially of females and immatures, can be very challenging, and many individuals are likely overlooked. One hybrid we report from Alberta was at first mistaken for an extralimital Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus). We encourage observers to document and report potential hybrid hummingbirds to further our understanding of hybridization in this family.