Hummingbirds are found exclusively in the Americas. There are no naturally occurring hummingbird species in Asia. The only hummingbirds found in Asia are escapees or released individuals from the pet trade or aviculture. Despite some internet rumors and dubious reports, there is no scientific evidence that hummingbirds have become established or are breeding in the wild anywhere in Asia.
Quick Answer
No, there are no native or naturally occurring hummingbird species found in Asia. Hummingbirds are only native to the Americas. Any hummingbirds seen in Asia would be escapees from captivity.
Hummingbirds are found exclusively in the Americas
Hummingbirds are part of the family Trochilidae, which contains around 350 species. All trochilids are found exclusively in the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Their center of diversity is in the tropical Andes mountains of South America. Hummingbirds reach their highest diversity in humid tropical and subtropical forests, woodlands, and scrublands. They are found in habitats ranging from lowland rainforests to high elevation Páramo grasslands.
No trochilids naturally occur outside of the Americas. There is no fossil evidence that hummingbirds ever inhabited the Old World. They evolved around 22 million years ago in South America and later dispersed to North America and the Caribbean islands. However, they never crossed the Atlantic Ocean to colonize Europe, Africa, or Asia.
Range of the hummingbird family Trochilidae
Here is a summary of the natural range of hummingbirds:
- South America – Around 340 species, the highest diversity on the continent
- Central America – Over 100 species, high diversity
- Caribbean islands – Around 30 species, mostly Antillean endemics
- North America – Around 15 species, lower diversity
In comparison, zero species are found naturally in Asia, Europe, Africa, or Australia.
Why are there no hummingbirds in Asia?
There are several reasons why hummingbirds never dispersed from the Americas to Asia:
- Geographic barriers – Hummingbirds likely could not cross the Atlantic Ocean from the Americas to Europe/Africa. The Bering Strait land bridge was too far north.
- Ecological barriers – Asia lacks New World nectar-producing plant species that hummingbirds coevolved with.
- Competition – Sunbirds and Old World flowerpeckers occupy hummingbird niches in Asia and Africa.
- Lack of evolutionary opportunity – Hummingbirds filled their niche after evolving in the Americas and had no need to disperse elsewhere.
So in essence, a combination of geographic isolation, ecological differences, and occupied niches have prevented hummingbirds from naturally reaching Asia over their long evolutionary history.
The origin and evolution of hummingbirds
Let’s take a closer look at the evolution of hummingbirds to understand why they are confined to the New World:
- Hummingbirds split from their closest ancestor, the Swallow-tailed swift family (Apodidae), around 42 million years ago in South America.
- The oldest known fossil hummingbird is about 22 million years old from Germany, but this was from an early Asian hummingbird lineage that went extinct in Europe.
- Living members of the family Trochilidae arose in South America around 22 million years ago, probably from Andean ancestors.
- Hummingbirds spread to Central America by 12 million years ago as the Isthmus of Panama formed, allowing an exchange of species between North and South America.
- Further dispersals occurred northwards to North America and the Caribbean islands.
However, hummingbirds never expanded outside of the Americas, likely due to a combination of geographic barriers, lack of ecological opportunity, and occupied niches in the Old World. So they remained exclusively New World birds.
Lack of American plant species in Asia
Hummingbirds are highly specialized nectar-feeding birds that have coevolved closely with New World flowering plants. For example, hummingbird pollinated plants include:
- Various orchids, bromeliads, and Gesneriaceae from the Americas
- Sages, Penstemons, phlox, and other herbs/wildflowers from North America
- Erythrina, Heliconia, and lobelia from the neotropics
These American plant groups that hummingbirds depend on are generally absent from Asia. So there is a lack of ecological opportunity and available food plants that hummingbirds would need to survive. This absence of essential nectar food sources is a barrier to their establishment in Asia.
Major plant species differences between the Americas and Eurasia
While the Americas and Eurasia share some plant families like grasses, roses, and daisies, there are major differences in species composition:
| Americas | Eurasia |
|---|---|
| Cacti, agaves | No equivalents |
| Oaks, pines, cypresses, sequoias | Different oak, pine, cypress species |
| Maples, birches, willows | Different maple, birch, willow species |
| Heliconias, gingers, orchids | Different heliconia, ginger, orchid species |
As you can see, while the regions share some plant families, the actual species are often totally different. This lack of plant species continuity would make it difficult for hummingbirds to thrive in unfamiliar Asian habitats.
Competition from Old World nectar feeders
Hummingbirds occupy a specialized nectar-feeding niche in the Americas. However, in Africa and tropical Asia this niche is already filled by other bird groups including:
- Sunbirds – The Old World version of hummingbirds found across sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia.
- Flowerpeckers – Tiny, short-billed nectar feeders of Southeast Asia and islands.
- Honeyeaters – Diverse family of nectar feeders in Australia and Oceania.
With these groups already adapted to feed on Old World flowers, hummingbirds would face extensive competition for food if they managed to reach Asia or Africa. It would be difficult for them to colonize and establish themselves in already occupied niches.
Ecological differences between hummingbirds and sunbirds
| Hummingbirds | Sunbirds |
|---|---|
| 330+ species in Americas | 130+ species in Africa, tropical Asia |
| Only specialized nectar feeders | Feed on insects as well as nectar |
| Thrive in diverse habitats | Mostly in tropical woodlands, scrub |
| Highly aerial, hover at flowers | Less specialized hovering ability |
| Pollinate New World flowers like orchids | Pollinate Old World flowers like aloes |
As the table shows, sunbirds occupy a similar niche in Afro-Asia to hummingbirds in the Americas. This would make coexistence between the two groups difficult.
How did hummingbirds reach remote islands?
Hummingbirds are occasionally found on remote oceanic islands outside of their natural range, including:
- Juan Fernández Islands off Chile – Green-backed firecrown hummingbird
- Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico – Black-chinned hummingbird and others
- South Atlantic islands like Saint Helena – Anna’s hummingbird
However, in these cases hummingbirds were introduced and established themselves on the islands in recent times, long after the islands formed and were colonized by various plant and animal species.
They likely reached these isolated islands by the following means:
- Being blown off course during migration over the ocean
- Accidental transport on ships and planes
- Deliberate introductions by people
So their presence on oceanic islands is not natural, and they could only establish themselves if suitable food plants already existed.
Claims of wild hummingbirds in Asia
There have been occasional claims of sightings or evidence of wild hummingbirds in parts of Asia, such as:
- Taiwan – A possible Selasphorus hummingbird was reported in 2008.
- Philippines – A photography contest entry claimed to show a hummingbird on Luzon in 2015.
- China – Second-hand reports of hummingbirds in Yunnan or Tibet.
However, these claims are highly controversial and lack definitive proof, such as clear photographs, specimens, or recordings. Ornithologists consider these records unproven and possibly cases of misidentification:
- Escaped cage birds – Pet trade or aviary escapees are the most likely source.
- Vagrants – Storm-blown individuals can accidentally end up in Asia on rare occasions.
- Misidentified birds – Swiftlet species are commonly mistaken for hummingbirds.
Without solid evidence like a photograph or specimen, alleged hummingbird sightings in Asia cannot be accepted as proven records. But the possibility of a vagrant showing up can’t be completely ruled out either.
Requirements for proof of establishment
To confirm hummingbirds are actually breeding in the wild in Asia, ornithologists would need:
- Clear photographic or video evidence of birds feeding, perched, etc.
- Multiple sightings over more than one season to show persistence.
- Finding active hummingbird nests with eggs/chicks.
- Capturing verifiable specimens and recording vocalizations.
- Documented visits to Asian flowering plants preferred by hummingbirds.
Without this level of definitive proof, claims of Asian hummingbirds remain unconfirmed. Just one or two sightings are not enough to demonstrate an established population is breeding.
Could hummingbirds establish themselves in Asia?
While hummingbirds could occasionally reach Asia naturally or with human assistance, several major obstacles make permanent establishment unlikely:
- Lack of coevolved, preferred food plants from the Americas.
- Insufficient knowledge of how to locate nesting resources in unfamiliar Asian habitats.
- Competition from resident sunbirds, flowerpeckers, and other nectar-feeders.
- Differences in ecological conditions, predators, diseases, etc. compared to their native range.
- Need for access to supplementary insect food sources.
- Small initial founder population vulnerable to extirpation.
The climate might not be a limiting factor, as hummingbirds can thrive from hot lowland tropics to cold Andean highlands. But the other ecological barriers would be difficult to overcome.
Overcoming these hurdles would require a large founding population and repeated introductions to establish a resilient breeding population. So while not completely impossible, successful establishment is ecologically unlikely.
Precedents from invasive species biology
Looking at precedents from other bird invasions:
| Species | Origin | Invasive Range |
|---|---|---|
| European starling | Europe/Asia | North America, Australia, South Africa |
| House sparrow | Europe/Asia | Americas, Africa, Australia, Pacific |
| Rock pigeon | Europe/Asia | Global in cities |
These species spread widely after introduction, indicating hummingbirds also have some potential to establish themselves outside their native range. However, the ecological barriers may be greater for specialized nectar-feeders like hummingbirds.
Could hummingbirds be introduced to Asia?
Hummingbirds could potentially be intentionally introduced to parts of Asia through releases of imported birds, similar to some past introductions:
- New Zealand – Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds from North America introduced in the 1880s, no evidence of breeding.
- Saudi Arabia – Rufous hummingbirds released in the 1970s, may have bred initially but no population persisted.
- Bahrain – Around 30 Costa’s hummingbirds released in the 2000s, breeding suspected but unconfirmed.
Past introduction attempts indicate that establishing exotic hummingbirds in Asia would face challenges:
- Need very large number of founder birds, repeated releases.
- Lack of suitable food plants, dependence on artificial feeders.
- Climate differences – humidity, rainfall patterns.
- Competition from resident birds.
- Diseases, predators may inhibit population growth.
Deliberate introductions are also controversial due to potential ecological impacts and harm to native species. So most biologists advise against such non-native releases into areas where hummingbirds did not evolve naturally.
Should hummingbirds be introduced to Asia?
| Arguments Against Introduction | Arguments For Introduction |
|---|---|
| – Disrupt ecological balance | + Aesthetic enjoyment |
| – Harm native competitors like sunbirds | + Educational opportunities |
| – Risk of disease transmission | + New evolutionary possibilities |
| – Unethical, against natural distribution | + Preservation if extinct in native range |
| – Difficulty providing adequate food | + Tourist attraction |
There are good arguments both for and against introducing hummingbirds. Most conservationists emphasize preventing ecological damage over potential benefits. But the possibilities remain intriguing.
Conclusion
In summary, hummingbirds are naturally found only in the Americas based on their evolutionary history and ecological requirements. There is currently no definitive evidence that they have become established in the wild in Asia, despite occasional reports. While vagrants may reach Asia on rare occasions, successfully colonizing would face major obstacles. Introducing hummingbirds to Asia has also been attempted in a few cases without long-term success. Overall, the lack of coevolved food plants and competition from sunbirds make it unlikely that populations could persist. But the issue continues to foster lively debate among biologists and bird enthusiasts alike.
