This past fall, hundreds of birders from New York State, Pennsylvania, and even southern Ontario flocked to Derby, NY for the chance at, potentially, once-in-a-lifetime sight: a Broad-billed Hummingbird.
Only the third sighting in New York State’s history, this extremely rare bird was found by local birder Kathy Tucker when it flew into her front yard in Derby, and was identifiable by its bright, red bill that was distinctly flattened at its base.
But beyond the sheer excitement at this rare bird being found in the area, what made the experience truly special was the kindness and generosity shown by Tucker, who opened her yard up to the birding community—drawing in visitors from near and far to share in the unique visit.
Buffalo Audubon Senior Naturalist and birding expert Tom Kerr shares about his experience
The First Sighting & “Rare Bird Alert”
On a Friday morning back in October, I was rounding up the birders in the Trillium Nature Center parking lot for our weekly birding tour. A few of us were looking at our phones as news of an unidentified late hummingbird in Derby, NY started to trickle in through the “Rare Bird Alert” Discord server. As the Friday morning birding tour started, it was confirmed to be a Broad-billed Hummingbird, way off course from its usual range in south-east Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.
This lost hummingbird had made its way into the yard of local birder Kathy Tucker. Kathy had done what everyone in the local birding community begs you to do: keep your hummingbird feeders up and filled through October!
About Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
Western New York, and almost the entire eastern half of North America, has only one hummingbird species: the very common Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We see them every summer, darting through our gardens and visiting our feeders. The males flash their namesake metallic red gorgets (colorful, iridescent throat patches) at each other as they chase rivals away from their favorite feeders and flowers.
It isn’t hard to identify a hummingbird around here in the summer. It is almost sure to be a Ruby-throated. But after the first week of October though, that is a different story.
As Ruby-throated Hummingbirds depart for their winter in Mexico, it becomes more of a possibility that the hummingbirds you see are Rufous, Allen’s, or Anna’s Hummingbirds—all tiny birds that occasionally head east instead of south and show up in some lucky birder’s backyard.
Broad-Billed Hummingbirds: A Rare Find in New York State
However, Broad-billed Hummingbirds aren’t usually one of the Hummingbirds found travelling east in the fall. According to eBird reports, there are less than 100 records of this species east of the Mississippi River.
Yet, this was the bird that visited Kathy Tucker’s property this past fall—only the third record of a Broad-billed Hummingbird found in New York State history.
All hummingbirds have long, straw-like bills for sipping nectar from flowers, with Broad-billed Hummingbirds having a distinctly flattened bill at its base, and a bright red color. Because hummingbirds need to drink from flowers, they all migrate south to tropical climates where year-round food sources are more readily available.
Male Broad-billed Hummingbirds are bright metallic green, with a sapphire blue gorget—described as “a beauty in a beautiful family” by a Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds explainer. Females are a softer green with gray markings on their face and undersides.
This bird was either a female or an immature male, making it harder to identify.
Going Above and Beyond: Sharing the Visit with the Birding Community
The bird had been visiting for a couple days before it was positively identified. After confirming with Alec Humann, Erie County’s eBird reviewer, Kathy graciously offered to share this bird by inviting anyone who wanted to see it to her front yard.
As soon as the Friday morning birding tour finished, I headed to Derby as fast as I could to see this unusual visitor. When I arrived, there were several excited birders with scopes, tripods, and cameras lined up on the road. Everyone was focused on the red hummingbird feeder hanging from Kathy’s porch. Jim Landau, a longtime Buffalo Ornithological Society member, waved me over to his scope to get a view of the tiny green and gray hummingbird. It was just a quick view before it flew off, but I could see the bright red base of its noticeably broad bill.
I set up my own spotting scope, and while I waited for it to return, talked to Kathy. She has been a regular participant on Buffalo Audubon birding tours, as well as both the Spring and Winter Birding Challenges.
Over the course of the next few weeks, hundreds of people from across New York State, Pennsylvania, and southern Ontario came to see this bird at the feeder on Kathy’s front porch. She truly went above and beyond in welcoming birders to her home to see this bird—providing daily updates on eBird and Facebook so people could plan their trip.
Buffalo Audubon awarded Kathy our first Community Birder Award at our recent Birds, Boots, & Brews event at Buffalo Riverworks.
On behalf of the Western New York birding community, we would like to thank Kathy again for welcoming so many birders to see this bird. It was a “life bird” for many of us—a certain species a birder sees and identifies for the first time in their life.
Ongoing Updates: What Will Happen to the Hummingbird?
Whenever there is a lost Hummingbird in the fall, the same questions are always asked:
- What is going to happen to this bird?
- Will it know enough to leave when the weather gets colder?
- Should we take down the feeder to encourage it to leave?
The truth is, we don’t always know what happens to these birds. They might leave and get back on course, or they might eventually succumb to the cold.
In this case, the Broad-billed Hummingbird visited Kathy’s feeder until Dec. 4. With extreme cold temperatures in the forecast, it was captured with a particular trap for banding hummingbirds and put into the care of a local wildlife rehabilitator that will care for it over the winter.
Stories like this show how rewarding backyard birding can be. Keep your feeders clean and full and you never know what can show up!
Interested in learning more about birding? Join Buffalo Audubon’s weekly Friday morning birding programs at Beaver Meadow Nature Preserve! Visit our website to stay updated on upcoming programs and events, discounts and other perks that come with a Buffalo Audubon membership, and so much more.
Buffalo Audubon leads and inspires Western New Yorkers to connect with and protect the natural world through bird-focused activities, advocacy, and habitat restoration. In May 2025, the organization launched the Bird-Friendly Buffalo movement to help raise awareness and guide communities with practical solutions to build a city where birds can thrive.
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