What countries do not have hummingbirds?

Hummingbirds are found naturally only in the Americas. Of the more than 330 hummingbird species, only the ruby-throated hummingbird regularly migrates across a large geographic area. The range for most hummingbird species is quite small. Here is a look at which countries do not have hummingbirds living naturally within their borders.

Countries in Africa without Hummingbirds

No hummingbirds live naturally on the continent of Africa. Africa has a diverse population of birds, with over 2,000 different species. However, hummingbirds are unique to the Americas. Here are some of the countries in Africa that do not have hummingbirds:

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Republic of the Congo
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

As the list above shows, no country located on the continent of Africa has a native population of hummingbirds. The only way to see a hummingbird in Africa would be in a zoo, aviary, or private collection.

Reasons for Lack of Hummingbirds in Africa

There are a few key reasons why hummingbirds are not found naturally in Africa or anywhere else outside the Americas:

• Hummingbirds evolved in the Americas and have never naturally expanded their range beyond the Western Hemisphere.
• There are no hummingbird species native to Africa that hummingbirds could have migrated from.
• The climate and habitat conditions are unsuitable for hummingbirds in much of Africa.
• There is a lack of suitable nectar-producing flowers that provide food for hummingbirds.
• Competition from African sunbirds and sugarbirds has likely prevented colonization by hummingbirds.

Countries in Europe without Hummingbirds

No hummingbirds are found naturally anywhere in Europe. Here is a list of European countries that do not have hummingbirds:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Kazakhstan
• Kosovo
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City

As demonstrated by the list, hummingbirds do not occur naturally anywhere in Europe. Only through importation and escape could hummingbirds arrive in Europe, but they could not survive the winters and lack of native nectar plants.

Reasons for Lack of Hummingbirds in Europe

Here are some of the main reasons hummingbirds are not found in Europe:

• Hummingbirds never naturally crossed the Atlantic Ocean to colonize Europe from the Americas.
• The climate is often too cold, especially in winter, for tropical and subtropical hummingbirds.
• There is a lack of suitable habitats and nectar flowers that hummingbirds rely on.
• Competition from European sunbirds, honeyeaters, and other nectar-eating birds likely prevents colonization.
• Hummingbirds only occur naturally in the Americas and most species have small ranges.

Countries in Asia without Hummingbirds

There are no naturally occurring hummingbird species anywhere in Asia. Here is a list of Asian countries that do not have hummingbirds:

• Afghanistan
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Brunei
• Cambodia
• China
• Cyprus
• East Timor
• Georgia
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• North Korea
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Sri Lanka
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam
• Yemen

With the exception of some regions of Turkey, Cyprus and Russia that are in Europe, hummingbirds are completely absent from the diverse avifauna of Asia.

Reasons for Lack of Hummingbirds in Asia

There are several explanations for why hummingbirds are not found in Asia:

• Hummingbirds never had a way to naturally disperse from the Americas across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans to colonize Asia.
• The climate and habitat in much of Asia is unsuitable to support tropical hummingbirds.
• There is a lack of year-round flowering plants to provide nectar for hummingbirds in many parts of Asia.
• Competition from sunbirds and honeyeaters likely prevents colonization by hummingbirds.
• Hummingbirds have only evolved in the Americas and have not expanded their range to Asia.

Countries in Australia and Oceania without Hummingbirds

There are no native hummingbird species found anywhere in Australia, New Zealand, or other countries in Oceania. Here are the major countries in this region without hummingbirds:

• Australia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

Hummingbirds only live naturally in the Americas and have not colonized the diverse island ecosystems of Oceania and Australia despite the presence of some nectar-producing flowers.

Reasons for Lack of Hummingbirds in Australia and Oceania

There are a few main explanations for the absence of hummingbirds in this region:

• No hummingbird species ever naturally dispersed across the Pacific Ocean from the Americas to colonize Oceania or Australia.
• Long ocean crossings serve as a barrier to dispersal for small hummingbirds with limited migration ranges.
• The climate in Australia is often too hot and dry to support tropical hummingbirds accustomed to rainforests.
• New Zealand lacks enough insects to sustain hummingbirds which need insects as a protein source.
• Competition from honeyeaters and lorikeets occupies the niche for nectar-feeding birds.

Antarctica

Antarctica is the only continent without a native population of hummingbirds. The frigid climate, lack of vegetation, and absence of flowering plants make it completely inhospitable to hummingbirds. Antarctica has no native land birds at all. The only birds are seabirds and migratory shorebirds that visit the peninsula seasonally. So Antarctica remains the sole continent where hummingbirds cannot live due to incompatible conditions.

Countries without Hummingbirds: Summary

In summary, hummingbirds are found naturally only in the Americas. Here are the countries and regions where hummingbirds do not occur:

• All countries in Africa
• All countries in Europe
• All countries in Asia (except parts of Russia, Turkey, Cyprus in Europe)
• All countries in Australia and Oceania
• Antarctica

The absence of hummingbirds across these broad geographic regions highlights how this unique family of birds has never naturally expanded beyond its origins in the New World tropics and subtropics. Only through importation or escape could hummingbirds arrive in the Old World, but they could not form self-sustaining populations.

Which Countries Have the Most Hummingbird Species?

While hummingbirds are absent from many parts of the world, the countries of the Americas host a wide diversity of species. The countries with the highest number of hummingbird species include:

Countries like Colombia and Ecuador that are situated along the Andes mountains and in the Amazon rainforest have ideal habitat diversity to support many hummingbird species with specialized habitat needs.

Hummingbird Diversity Hotspots

Certain regions of the Americas stand out for their exceptional hummingbird diversity and endemism. These hummingbird diversity hotspots include:

• The tropical Andes mountains of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
• The Amazon rainforest basin across northern South America
• The Central American highlands from Mexico to Panama
• The tropical Caribbean islands
• The Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil

Many hummingbird species have tiny geographic ranges confined to these biodiversity hotspots. Ongoing habitat loss in the Neotropics poses a major threat to hummingbird conservation.

Could Hummingbirds Live Outside the Americas?

While hummingbirds naturally only live in the Americas, is it possible they could survive if introduced to other global regions? Here is an analysis:

Africa

Hummingbirds would be unlikely to survive in most of Africa due to unsuitable hot, dry climates, lack of year-round flowers, and competition from sunbirds. A few tropical highland areas with flowers might be suitable such as the Ethiopian Highlands, but habitat loss would threaten tiny introduced populations.

Europe

The climate would likely be too cold for tropical hummingbirds to survive most European winters. Lack of flowers and competition from sunbirds would also hamper survival. Isolated tropical escapes might persist in summer along the Mediterranean coast if adequate flower resources were available.

Asia

Most of Asia lacks suitable habitat and climate for hummingbirds, except some southeast Asian islands, highlands, and parts of India. However, habitat loss, limited flowers, and competition from sunbirds would threaten survival. Isolated escapees might persist seasonally in suitable pockets.

Australia and Oceania

The climate is likely too hot and dry over much of Australia to support hummingbirds. New Zealand lacks essential insect food sources. Hummingbirds might persist on tropical Pacific islands with ample flowers and from artificial feeders, but only in low densities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while captive hummingbirds can be kept almost anywhere, the constraints of climate, resources, and competition make it unlikely that self-sustaining wild populations could persist for long outside of the Americas. Hummingbirds have evolved over millions of years in intimate association with their native New World habitats.