Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating birds in the world. Known for their incredibly fast wing beats, ability to hover mid-air, and long needle-like bills adapted for drinking nectar, these tiny birds capture the imagination of people across the globe. But just how far across the globe are hummingbirds found?
The short answer is that the majority of hummingbird species are found in the Americas. Of the over 300 recognized hummingbird species, only around 10-15 occur outside of the Americas. This is because hummingbirds evolved in South America and subsequently expanded their range northwards and into the Caribbean islands. Central America and western North America represent the core geographic range for hummingbirds due to the high diversity of species located there.
However, over time a handful of hummingbird species did cross the Atlantic Ocean and establish populations in parts of Eurasia and Africa. So while their numbers are small in the Eastern Hemisphere, there are definitely some hummingbirds that reside outside of the Americas.
Hummingbird Species Outside the Americas
Here are the main hummingbird species found outside of the Americas:
Bee Hummingbird
The Bee Hummingbird holds the distinction of being the smallest living bird in the world. Native to the entire Caribbean, populations have become established on islands off southeast Asia. Countries where introduced populations occur include Spain, Portugal, and Hong Kong. Their presence in Eurasia is likely due to escaped caged birds.
Vervain Hummingbird
Native across the Caribbean, the Vervain Hummingbird has been introduced to the Canary Islands. It can be found on islands such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Palma.
Green-breasted Mango
The Green-breasted Mango naturally occurs in Mexico, Central America, and parts of northern South America. An introduced population has existed on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico since the late 1950s. This population might have arrived by storms blowing individuals off course from the mainland.
Rufous Hummingbird
While most Rufous Hummingbirds breed in western North America, some migrate all the way to Alaska and Russia in the summer. The Chukchi Peninsula represents the northeastern extreme of their non-breeding range.
Calliope Hummingbird
Like the Rufous, the breeding range of the Calliope Hummingbird centers on western North America. But a few vagrant individuals have turned up in Russia on islands like Shelikhova and the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea.
Anna’s Hummingbird
Native to western North America and the Caribbean, Anna’s Hummingbirds have been introduced to British Columbia in Canada and also southern California. Populations still persist today from these introductions. There have also been sightings of individual vagrants in Chile.
Allen’s Hummingbird
Allen’s Hummingbirds face competition from the introduced Anna’s Hummingbird over parts of its native range in California. A few individuals have wandered as far south as Mexico over the years.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
The Black-chinned Hummingbird lives across western North America. Like other western hummingbird species, vagrants have turned up in Russia on rare occasions but with no established populations.
Species | Native Range | Introduced Range |
---|---|---|
Bee Hummingbird | Caribbean | Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong |
Vervain Hummingbird | Caribbean | Canary Islands |
Green-breasted Mango | Mexico, Central and South America | Puerto Rico |
Rufous Hummingbird | Western North America | Russia (vagrants) |
Calliope Hummingbird | Western North America | Russia (vagrants) |
Anna’s Hummingbird | Western North America, Caribbean | Canada, California, Chile (vagrants) |
Allen’s Hummingbird | California | Mexico (vagrants) |
Black-chinned Hummingbird | Western North America | Russia (vagrants) |
Eurasian and African Hummingbirds
Beyond introductions of New World species, there are a couple hummingbird species native to the Eastern Hemisphere:
White-throated Hummingbird – Occurs along the northern coast of South America as well as on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica and Panama. It is the only hummingbird species that crossed the Atlantic Ocean without human assistance.
Jamaican Mango – Endemic just to Jamaica. Closely related to the Green-breasted Mango.
These two species are the only hummingbirds native to the Eastern Hemisphere. All other hummingbirds found in Europe, Asia, and Africa originally came from the Americas.
Geography of Hummingbirds Outside the Americas
The vast majority of hummingbird species occur naturally in the Americas. A few general patterns emerge when looking at hummingbird species found outside their native ranges:
- Caribbean species have been introduced to islands off the coast of Europe and Africa. This includes Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. Many were likely escapees from captivity.
- Anna’s Hummingbird has been successfully introduced by humans to regions along the Pacific Coast like Canada and California where they still thrive today.
- Vagrant western North American species such as Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds periodically turn up along the Russian coast and islands in the Bering Sea. These individuals likely got blown off course during migration.
- Green-breasted Mangos were potentially introduced to Puerto Rico by storms transporting individuals from mainland South America.
So while not native, small pockets of hummingbirds can be found across parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, largely due to human-assisted introductions as well as vagrant individuals. The table below summarizes the geography:
Region | Hummingbird Species |
---|---|
Europe | Bee Hummingbird, Vervain Hummingbird (introduced to Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands) |
Middle East | Bee Hummingbird, Vervain Hummingbird (introduced to Canary Islands) |
Asia | Bee Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird (vagrants to Russia) |
Africa | Bee Hummingbird, Vervain Hummingbird (introduced to Canary Islands) |
Reasons for Geographic Restriction
Given how specialized hummingbirds are morphologically and physiologically to feed on nectar, they face significant barriers dispersing outside of the Americas where suitable habitats, food sources, and climate regimes occur. A few key reasons help explain why the majority of hummingbird species are restricted to the New World:
- Evolutionary History – Hummingbirds originated and diversified in South America around 22 million years ago during the Miocene. At the time, South America was still largely isolated as the Isthmus of Panama had not yet formed to connect North and South America. This isolation allowed hummingbirds to evolve unique adaptations without competition.
- Ecological Release – When the Isthmus of Panama formed about 3 million years ago, hummingbirds expanded their range northwards into new ecological niches with fewer competitors. This allowed further diversification and specialization as they adapted to new habitats and food sources.
- Flower Co-evolution – In the Americas, hummingbirds co-evolved tight relationships with flowering plants in a process known as floral syndromes. The shape and color of many New World flowers are adapted to hummingbird pollination.
- Climate Compatibility – Tropical and subtropical climates predominate in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America providing ideal conditions for hummingbirds.
- Geographic Barriers – Oceans, mountains, and deserts help isolate hummingbird communities and limit their dispersal outside the Americas. The Atlantic Ocean serves as a major barrier to the east.
- Nest Predation – In Africa and Asia, potential nest predators like monkeys are abundant. Significant nest predation likely hinders hummingbird population establishment.
- Competition – Islands like Jamaica where hummingbirds occur have far fewer avian nectar competitors than mainland tropical areas in Africa and Asia which contain sunbirds and honeycreepers.
Conclusion
In summary, hummingbirds originate and overwhelmingly diversify in the Americas. A few Caribbean species have successfully colonized small parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, facilitated by human introduction or transport by storms. In addition, periodic vagrant hummingbirds from western North America have turned up along the Russian coast. But suitable habitat, food resources, climate conditions, geographic isolation, predation pressures, and competition challenges prevent wide-scale dispersal and speciation of hummingbirds in the Eastern Hemisphere. Evolutionary history, ecology, and biogeography explain the strong geographic restriction of hummingbirds to the New World. Their adaptions for specialized nectar-feeding arose in South America where ideal conditions allowed them to proliferate and occupy diverse ecological niches.