5 Secret Hummingbird Hot Spots

The West is best when it comes to hummingbirds. Variations in terrain and rainfall create diverse habitats that attract up to 17 species. At these must-visit parks, the odds are high you’ll see many types of hummingbirds, including a few rare ones.

- Lisa Ballard

1 DESERT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

While the Mojave Desert is certainly hot, it’s also an extraordinary spot for hummingbirds. This 1.6-million-acre wildlife refuge, the largest outside of Alaska, attracts 320 species of birds, including a number of hummingbird species—more than any other birding destination in Nevada.

Watch for: Costa’s hummingbirds, which thrive in arid climates, nest in the refuge during late winter and early spring. Black-chinned and Anna’s hummingbirds also flit among the sagebrush and wetland habitats at the refuge.

Do it: Birders flock to the Corn Creek visitor center, where the vegetation attracts many migrant and vagrant hummingbirds. Several trails begin here, some accessible to all, for the best hummingbird-watching.

2.  BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT

LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO

Watch for: Broad-tailed and blackchinned hummingbirds raise families in Bandelier National Monument. Calliope and rufous hummingbirds flit among the monument’s cliffs, valleys and streams.