Hummingbird Festival Featured Hummer

Cool facts about the Rivoli’s

Rivoli’s are the second largest hummingbird in the U.S., and the largest in the Sedona area.  The coloring of the males is quite striking, as they have a black breast that contrasts with their vivid gorget – and the gorget seems to magically shift in color from teal to vivid green.  And then there is the crown: a mix of magenta and purple that appears and disappears according to the light.  Their back and sides are iridescent green with hints of blue and bronze. But since the Rivoli’s prefer to spend their time in dimly lit forests and canyons, you might not see these spectacular colors, especially at first glance.  You will just see a huge, dark hummingbird.  Watch closely for the moments the light hits just right and you see those pops of color! 

Rivoli’s are more shy and secretive than many hummingbirds, so scientists know less about them.  We do know there are generally a few summering and perhaps breeding in Oak Creek Canyon – which is interesting because there don’t seem to be adjacent populations.  The closest regular sightings we know of are in the mountains of Southeastern Arizona, and the bulk of the population resides in Mexico and Central America.

About that Name

When they were first discovered by scientists in the early 1800’s, these birds were named Rivoli’s Hummingbird in honor of Francois Victor Massena, the Duke of Rivoli—a dedicated French amateur ornithologist.  Then in the early 1980s the common name was changed to Magnificent Hummingbird – because after all these are magnificent birds!  But the folks at American Ornithological Society like to keep birders on their toes, so in 2017 the name was changed back to Rivoli’s Hummingbird. Side note: The Anna’s Hummingbird was named after the Duke of Rivoli’s wife — Anna d’Essling.