While the Rufous Hummingbird’s typical range is in the western part of North America, it has started to become a more regular vagrant to the east and New York, particularly in fall and winter.
I saw my first Rufous Hummingbird right here in Phoenix New York back in 2012. This individual was an adult male and first appeared on September 16th. This male stayed in the yard for 14 weeks and 4 days, feeding from a heated feeder, and leaving on December 27th.
A more recent record happened in Central New York , Baldwinsville to be exact, back in December of 2020. When a female showed up and stayed until January of 2021, which also set a late-date record for the state.