Every year, the American Birding Association selects a bird as its “Bird of the Year” to highlight a single species. This year the ABA announced that the 2014 Bird of the Year is the Rufous Hummingbird.
The brilliantly orange males and green-and-orange females are found mostly in the West, but can occasionally make their way farther East. For example, in 2012, a Rufous Hummingbird was spotted in Chicago (though you probably shouldn’t expect that this year, due to the polar vortex and deep freeze).
The ABA selects a species every year based on its geography, biology and beauty, and this bird definitely fits the bill. All About Birds calls the species “the feistiest hummingbird in North America” because it’s very aggressive and lightning fast.
Even though you already know what the bird is, check out the fun reveal video from the ABA featuring birders Jay Lehman and Neil Hayward.
We’ll certainly hear much more about this bird throughout the year.
