Most of us don’t have hummingbirds at our houses here in Loudoun in winter, but every year or two we do get reports of Rufous Hummingbirds showing up.
Cornell calls this bird the “feistiest” of the hummingbirds, which will attack larger hummingbirds at feeders and out maneuver them (which is amazing considering the agility of hummingbirds in general.)
So, what do you do if a Rufous Hummingbird shows up at your house in December or January? Well, the Hummer/Bird Study group has the answer. Here’s the link to their study and information on what to do:
http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/winterfeeder.html
This group has been studying and banding winter hummingbirds for over 20 years and have compiled some great findings and recommendations.