25 Types of hummingbirds in North America
Let’s take a quick look at each of these beautiful species, starting with one of the most well-known North American hummingbirds.
1. Ruby-throated hummingbird
Range: Winter: southern and eastern Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, Central America. Small population along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Summer: eastern U.S., Canada from southern Quebec to south-central Alberta.
2. Anna’s hummingbird
Range: Pacific coast, southern Arizona, northwestern Mexico
Anna’s hummingbirds stay in the U.S. all year within most of their range, however they stick closely to the states along the west coast. The green of their feathers tends to be a bit brighter and more iridescent than most others, and even their chest and belly are sprinkled with emerald feathers. Males have rosy-pink feathers not only on their throat, but also on the crown and behind the eye.
3. Costa’s hummingbird
Range: Year-round: far southern California, Baja California (Mexico), and the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Winter migrants: western coast of Mexico. Spring migrants: Sonoran Desert, desert areas of southern Nevada and southwestern corner of Utah.
Male Costa’s hummingbirds are known for their deep purple faces. They have a splash of purple on their head as well as their throat, with purple feathers flaring out on both sides like a mustache. Females have a green back, a pale grayish head and cheek, and pale underparts.
4. Rufous hummingbird
Range: Winter: coastal southern California, Gulf coast, south-central Mexico. Spring: Washington, Idaho, Oregon, British Columbia up to southern Alaska
The rufous breeds further north then any other hummingbird species, making it all the way up to Alaska. In fact, those that winter in Mexico then travel to Alaska make a round trip of nearly 4,000 miles! This makes the rufous one of the furthest traveling hummingbirds.
5. Black-chinned hummingbird
Range: Year-round: coastal southern Texas, Rio Grande Valley through south central Mexico. Winter: within year-round range, southwestern Pacific coast of Mexico, U.S. Gulf Coast Spring: south-central Mexico north through U.S. southwest to Idaho.
6. Buff-bellied hummingbird
Range: Yucatan peninsula and eastern coast of Mexico, some migrate north to the U.S. Gulf Coast in the winter.
7. Allen’s Hummingbird
Range: Winter: central Mexico Spring: Pacific coast from southern Oregon down to southern California. Year-round: Los Angeles and the Channel Islands.
Allen’s hummingbird has very similar coloring to the rufous hummingbird. Allen’s males are orange with a green back and orangey-red throat. Females have a speckled throat with dull green back and brownish-orange flanks.
8. Blue-throated Mountain Gem
Range: Mexico with small breeding populations southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and western Texas.
The blue-throated mountain gem is the largest hummingbird species to nest in the United States. In fact they can be up to three times the weight of a ruby-throated hummingbird. Both males and females have two white stripes on the face, a green back and a gray breast. Males have a bright blue throat.
9. Broad-billed Hummingbird
Range: western and southern Mexico, southern Arizona and New Mexico
The only two states in the U.S. where the broad-billed hummingbird is known to breed are Arizona and New Mexico. Males are hard to mistake with their indigo throat and blueish-green belly. They also have an orange beak with a black tip. Females are a washed out green above and grayish below with the typical black beak.
10. Calliope Hummingbird
Range: Winter: southwestern coast of Mexico Summer: southeastern British Columbia, along the southwestern border of Alberta, parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah
The calliope hummingbird mainly spends winters along the southwestern coast of Mexico, then heads north to the Pacific Northwest and parts of western Canada to breed. This is an impressively far migration, especially considering the calliope is the smallest bird in the United States!
