What varieties of hummingbirds are in Southern CA?

Southern California is home to a remarkable diversity of hummingbird species. With its varied habitats ranging from coastal scrub to high mountain meadows, Southern California provides ideal conditions for these tiny, energetic birds. At least 12 different hummingbird species have been recorded in the region, including several species that are rare or localized in their distribution.

Anna’s Hummingbird

The Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is one of the most common and familiar hummingbird species found across Southern California. It is a year-round resident throughout most of the region. The male Anna’s Hummingbird has iridescent rose-pink throat feathers and a striking rose-red crown. The female and immature birds are mostly grey-green with some iridescent red spotting on the throat. Anna’s Hummingbirds are extremely territorial and males perform elaborate dive displays during the breeding season.

Anna’s Hummingbirds thrive in urban and suburban neighborhoods with flowering ornamental plants, as well as in parks, gardens, and scrub habitats. They feed on nectar from flowers such as coral trees, sage, and manzanita. Anna’s Hummingbirds also readily visit feeders. In winter, they supplement their diet with insects such as gnats, aphids, and tree sap.

Allen’s Hummingbird

Closely related to Anna’s Hummingbird is the Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin). Males have a fiery orange-red throat, a green back, and rufous sides. Females have green backs and white throats with some red spotting. Allen’s Hummingbirds breed predominantly along California’s coast from Sonoma County south to San Diego. They are migrant in most of Southern California, arriving to breed in spring and wintering farther south in Mexico.

Preferred breeding habitats include coastal scrub, chaparral, and eucalyptus groves, where the birds feed on nectar from flowers such as paintbrush, bush monkeyflower, and manzanita. Allen’s Hummingbirds also visit gardens and feeders in urban areas during migration.

Costa’s Hummingbird

Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae) is a desert species that barely makes it into California’s southeastern corner in Imperial and Riverside Counties. The male has a striking purple crown and throat. Females and young birds are dull grey-green on the head and underparts with whitish undersides.

Costa’s Hummingbirds are found in desert oases and washes of the Colorado Desert region. They feed on nectar from ocotillo, palo verde, and other desert-adapted flowers. Costa’s Hummingbirds nest very early in the spring, with some females building nests as early as December to take advantage of early blooming plants.

Rufous Hummingbird

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a small, compact hummingbird with a bright orange-red throat in males. Females have green backs and white throats with red spotting. Rufous Hummingbirds breed in northwest California and migrate through Southern California in spring and fall on their way to and from breeding grounds farther north.

During migration, Rufous Hummingbirds use a variety of habitats including mountain meadows, chaparral, and urban gardens. They consume nectar, tree sap, and small insects. Flowers visited include currants, gooseberries, lilies, and columbine.

Calliope Hummingbird

The tiny Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) is North America’s smallest breeding bird. Males have colorful magenta throat feathers and some iridescent purple spotting on the throat. Females lack throat coloring and are more uniformly gray-green overall with a pale underside.

Calliope Hummingbirds breed at high elevations and migrate through Southern California mountains and sometimes coastal areas. They are found in meadows, forest openings, and backyards where they visit nectar sources such as penstemon, paintbrush, and trumpet vines.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) is a summer resident and breeder at high elevations in the mountains of Southern California. The male’s throat feathers produce a shimmering metallic rose-pink color. Females have white throats with some speckling.

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds inhabit mountain meadows and forest edges near streams or seeps where they feed on nectar from larkspur, red columbine, paintbrush and other wildflowers. They migrate out of the mountains to winter in Mexico each fall.

Black-chinned Hummingbird

The Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is a common migrant and summer resident across much of Southern California. The male has a dark, forked purple-black throat band below an iridescent purple crown. Females are dull green on the back and greyish below with fine dark streaks along the throat.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds breed in a variety of woodland habitats, including oak savannas and riparian areas. They aggressively defend flowering shrubs and trees in canyons and along stream banks. Penstemon and currants are favorite nectar sources.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

The Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Amazilia violiceps) is an uncommon but regular summer visitor in chaparral covered foothills in San Diego and Riverside counties. As its name suggests, it has a brilliant violet crown that appears black in some lights. The underparts are white with green sides.

In Southern California, Violet-crowned Hummingbirds feed along desert wash margins on nectar from chuparosa, ocotillo, and other desert blooms. They breed in thorn-scrub habitats in Arizona and Mexico.

Magnificent Hummingbird

The aptly named Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) is the largest hummer in the U.S. and a spectacular sight. The male has a glittering purple throat and a dark, glossy green back. Females have grey-green upperparts and pale underparts with green flanks.

In California, Magnificent Hummingbirds are a rare summer visitor to the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountain ranges where they breed in oak or pine-oak woodlands at elevations up to 8000 feet. Steller’s Jay and Acorn Woodpecker compete with the hummingbird over nest sites.

Berylline Hummingbird

The Berylline Hummingbird (Amazilia beryllina) is an occasional winter visitor along the California border region where it can be found in desert oases and scrub habitats. Adult males have brilliant emerald green upperparts with a blue-green throat and grey underparts. Females lack the colorful throat patch.

Berylline Hummingbirds drill nests in saguaro cacti and other desert trees. In California they visit agave blooms, chuparosa, ocotillo, and feeders for nectar. They breed primarily in Arizona and Mexico.

Blue-throated Mountain-gem

Blue-throated Mountain-gem (Lampornis clemenciae) is a rare vagrant in Southern California, occasionally wandering north of its breeding range in Mexico. The male has a dazzling bright blue throat patch, contrasting starkly with the otherwise gray plumage. Females lack any blue coloring in the plumage.

Most records are fall and winter vagrants reported from San Diego County. Blue-throated Mountain-gems inhabit canyons and mountain forests in the breeding range, moving to lower elevations, scrub, and semi-desert regions in winter.

Lucifer Hummingbird

The unusual Lucifer Hummingbird (Calothorax lucifer) is a rare vagrant to the California deserts and Salton Sea region. Adult males are stunning with a shimmering violet-purple throat and bright green forehead. Females and young birds are greyish-green on the upperparts and paler below.

Lucifer Hummingbirds breed primarily in northwestern Mexico and visit thorn-scrub desert oases and canyon streams in winter. They appear sporadically at oases in Anza-Borrego and have been recorded visiting flowering agave and chuparosa when they wander into California.

Xantus’s Hummingbird

Xantus’s Hummingbird (Hylocharis xantusii) is a rare and local breeder in chaparral, scrub, and desert oases in San Diego and Imperial counties. Males have a bright blue throat and face patch bordered below with a white collar. Females lack blue on the head and throat.

This hummingbird feeds on nectar, tree sap, and some insects. It breeds very early, with females incubating eggs as early as December. Chaparral with manzanita and sticky monkeyflower provide food sources in the breeding habitat.

Where and When to See Hummingbirds in Southern California

Late winter and spring are the best seasons to observe hummingbirds in Southern California, as migrants move through the region and resident species come into breeding plumage. Some key areas and seasons to spot hummingbirds are:

• February-April – San Diego county coast for Allen’s and Rufous Hummingbirds
• March-May – Anza-Borrego Desert for Costa’s and Berylline Hummingbirds
• April-July – San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains for breeding Black-chinned and Broad-tailed
• May-September – Santa Monica Mountains for Allen’s and Black-chinned
• July-September – Pine-oak woodlands in San Jacinto Mountains for breeding Anna’s and Black-chinned
• Year-round – Gardens and parks throughout Southern California for Anna’s Hummingbirds

Best Flowers for Hummingbirds

To attract hummingbirds to your yard, incorporate flowering plants that provide nectar. Some of the best include:

Tips for Hummingbird Identification

Here are some tips for identifying the hummingbird species you spot:

• Look at the bird’s throat – Is there significant color like red, orange, violet, or blue? This indicates an adult male.
• Note the tail shape – Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds have rusty colored outer tail feathers that show up well when fanning the tail.
• Pay attention to crown and head colors like the violet on Violet-crowned or the iridescent feathers atop Allen’s and Anna’s heads.
• Consider the size and bill shape – Larger hummers like Costa’s have longer curved bills adapted for bigger blooms.
• Notice wingtips on a perched bird – Rufous Hummingbirds have bold rufous patches at the base of the primaries.
• Learn the common resident species in your area, which helps rule out vagrant possibilities.

Unique Hummingbird Adaptations

Here are some incredible adaptations that allow hummingbirds to hover, feed, migrate long distances, and survive:

• High metabolism – Hummingbirds have very rapid heart and breathing rates and can metabolize sugars quickly to fuel their high energy lifestyle.
• Swift wings – Muscles and skeleton structure allow relatively enormous wings to beat up to 70 times per second!
• Long tongues – Their tongues extend to tap nectar from flowers. Forked tongue tips on some species help lap up nectar.
• Sharp vision – Hummingbirds see ultraviolet light, helping them find nectar guides on flowers.
• Torpor ability – Nighttime reduction in body temperature and metabolism conserves energy.
• Migrate using fat stores – Hummingbirds nearly double their weight before migration by building up fat reserves.
• Large hippocampi – This region of the brain involved in visual memory and spatial orientation is enlarged in hummers.

Providing Food and Shelter for Hummingbirds

Here are some tips for making your yard friendly to hummingbirds:

• Set up feeders with a nectar solution of 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Avoid food coloring.
• Provide fresh nectar regularly, washing feeders every few days.
• Plant plenty of nectar-producing flowers and flowering shrubs.
• Include trees and shrubs that attract insects hummingbirds hunt like willows, oaks, and cottonwoods.
• Don’t spray pesticides which reduce insect populations the birds rely on.
• Install a birdbath or mister for drinking and bathing opportunities.
• Allow safe nesting spots by not removing dead branches and leaves.

Conclusion

Southern California hosts a remarkable diversity of hummingbirds thanks to varied microclimates, elevations, and habitats. Backyards and gardens can support these special birds by providing shelter, breeding spots, insects, and plenty of nectar flowers. Appropriate native plantings that supply nutrients through the seasons are ideal. By tuning into the local species, you’ll find there are opportunities to observe hummingbirds throughout the year across the Southland.