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We're Abuzz with our Renovated and Reopened Hummingbird Exhibit!

A year ago Museum staff members were devastated to discover that much of the hummingbird population was lost due to iron storage disease. This unfortunate situation prompted the Museum to close the exhibit and speed up existing plans to renovate it.

The new exhibit is home to 17 hummingbirds, many of which are birds that were being rehabilitated for injuries sustained in the wild. The seven species in the exhibit include Magnificent, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Rufous, Broad-billed, Costa's and Anna's hummingbirds.

In the wild, most hummingbirds die during their first year, but after that their life expectancy may increase to three or four years. In the controlled, secure environment of the Museum, the birds have lived as long as 12 years. Hummingbirds in the Museum's collection will be added through breeding of the Museum's bird population.

There are well over 300 species of hummingbirds, all native to the Americas. The vast majority live in the tropics, where flowers abound year-round. Only a handful of hummingbird species reach the United States, and Southern Arizona is home to more than a dozen of them, which include a family of birds that are the smallest in the world.

The Museum built the hummingbird exhibit in 1988 and in 1992 renovated it and doubled its size. The current exhibit is 3300 square feet and has 34 bird feeders.

Download the "Hummingbirds in Your Garden" Brochure (PDF)

For additional questions/comments please contact Shawnee Riplog-Peterson by email or at 520-883-3064.