Arizona a hummingbird hot spot with most species in US

If you haven’t already noticed, Arizona is a popular hangout for hummingbirds.

In an interview with KJZZ radio in Phoenix, Arizona State University research professor David Pearson explained that habitats in Arizona attract the most hummingbird species in the U.S.

As an ornithologist with the School of Life Sciences, Pearson is familiar with more than 300 hummingbird species and where they call home. While most are found in more tropical regions, such as South America, Pearson said several species have moved north and settled in Arizona.

“If you go down to the Huachuca, the Chiricahua, the Santa Rita mountains in say, late July or early August, the canyons have feeders where they use up quarts and quarts of sugar water every day,” Pearson said. “There are hundreds of hummingbirds coming in.”

Pearson also said the most common species found in the Phoenix metropolitan area are Anna’s hummingbird, named after an Italian duchess. He added that putting up a feeder with water and sugar almost guarantees a visit by the tiny birds.