Sedona hosting annual hummingbird festival this weekend

SEDONA, Ariz. — The birds known as “flying jewels” are the guests of honor this weekend in Sedona.

The 11th Annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival, taking place July 25 through July 27, will feature hummingbird garden tours, birding field trips, artists, researchers, a marketplace and photo contest.

“We provide lots of great information about how to attract and enjoy and learn about hummingbirds, but we also celebrate the beauty and joy that they bring to us,” said Alice Madar of the International Hummingbird Society.

Madar said although advance ticket sales are closed, visitors can buy tickets on the day of events and visit shops in the air-conditioned hummingbird marketplace for free. Saturday also features a free kids event with crafts, speakers and a reptiles exhibit.

Sedona is the home of the International Hummingbird Society, where a range of hummingbird species live and migrate. At least 17 hummingbird species live in Arizona, according to Arizona State Parks.

The popular Anna’s hummingbird is one of Arizona’s most common, notable for the bright magenta crown of males. Another favorite is the Costa Hummingbird, a native of Arizona. Males have a purple-blue hood and females are light green and grey.  

“Their aerial displays and rambunctious attitude make them a crowd favorite to watch around the feeder and in the parks as they defend their space with a high level of intensity,” says AZ State Parks on its hummingbird tracker website.

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