Hummingbirds in Wyoming: Where to See Them and How to Identify Them

Mountainous regions like the Bighorn Mountains, Wind River Range, and Sierra Madre provide prime habitat. Lower elevation riparian areas and backyard feeders in towns such as Jackson and Laramie also attract them. Focus on elevations between 6,000 and 9,000 feet for the best odds. Check out our /wildlife/wyoming page for more Wyoming-specific wildlife tips.

See our state wildlife page for the next step.

In Wyoming, hummingbirds sightings usually improve when you slow down and match your first stop to where in the state sightings are most likely. Use the state wildlife hub and the route guide to narrow your first area, then check access, weather, and distance before you settle in. A short walk with one clear viewing plan often beats covering too much ground, especially when habitat changes fast from open edges to brush, wetlands, timber, shoreline, or neighborhood cover.

Late May through August is the prime window. Males arrive first in spring to establish territories. Dawn and dusk offer the highest feeding activity. Mid-summer mornings just after sunrise are when you'll see the most birds at flowers and feeders.

See our Hummingbirds guide for the next step.

Most misses happen when people arrive at the wrong hour or expect nonstop activity. Build around best season or time of day, keep one backup area in mind, and use the animal facts page plus tour planning ideas to compare what a realistic outing looks like in Wyoming. If movement slows, stay longer at one promising spot, listen for calls or watch for edge movement, and reset around weather, light, water, or feeding changes instead of jumping to a totally new area too early.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the most common. Males have a brilliant ruby-red throat and a trilling wing sound in flight. Females are greenish with white underparts. Also watch for Rufous Hummingbirds passing through in late summer; they have an orange-brown back and fiery throat.

See our state animal guide for the next step.

Open woodlands, mountain meadows, and sagebrush edges with wildflowers like Indian paintbrush, penstemon, and columbine. They are attracted to red tubular flowers. Near streams and aspen groves are hotspots.

Grand Teton National Park, especially around Jenny Lake and the String Lake Trail. Also the Medicine Bow National Forest and the Beartooth Highway area. In the Bighorn Mountains, try the Cloud Peak area. Many state parks and botanical gardens offer good viewing. For a full list of Wyoming wildlife spots, visit /wildlife/wyoming.