
Hummingbirds - Fun Facts & Regional Plant List
Posted on Sep 26, 2015 | by J Kirkpatrick
Spring is here and the Hummingbirds are coming. The migration of hummingbirds heralds the coming of spring.
Did you know that hummingbirds . . .
- eat, rest, then eat again approximately 60 times throughout the day
- do not feed at night but enter tupor, a short-term form of hibernation
- lap nectar with their tongues at the rate of about 13 licks per second
- are quite promiscuous and that male and female hummingbirds are rarely together peacefully for more than a few moments
- will lace together spider webbing to build their nests
- generally lay 2 eggs that are 10% to 20% of the mother's body mass
- eat spiders, aphids, gnats and other insects for proteins, vitamins and minerals
- will navigate back to their summer territory with such precision that they will return to the same patch of perennial wildflowers or hover at a nail where a favorite feeder was suspended
- enjoy dripping water and sprinklers
- are not attracted to plants by smell but by color and shape
Common Hummers Found in the United States include
Allen's Hummingbird - Selasphorus sasin
- southwestern Oregon to southwestern California; winters in Mexico
- migrates up the Pacific coast from Mexico
- partial to penstemon, monkey flower and paintbrush
Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna
- Pacific coast north to British Columbia and east to Arizona
- migrates east to west; Arizona birds fly west to California in mid-spring and return in late summer
- partial to eucalyptus and tree tobacco flowers
Berylline Hummingbird - Amazilia beryllina
- rare summer visitors to mountains of southeast Arizona
- in summer strays into southwestern United States
- partial thistles and nectar feeders
Black-chinned Hummingbird - Archilochus alexandri
- found in low elevations in the west; summers from British Columbia to central Texas and southern California
- migrates to western United States in spring and leaves for Mexico in fall
- often nests in backyards
Blue-throated Hummingbird - Lampornis clemenciae
- found in the southwestern part of the United States to southern Mexico
- migrates in spring; leaves in fall
- largest of U.S. breeding hummers. Partial to shady spots near water
Broad-billed Hummingbird - Cynanthus latirostris
- found in March to September in limited areas of AZ, NM, southwest TX; winters in Mexico
- migrates up from Mexico in spring; returns in fall
- limited range but abundant where found
Broad-tailed Hummingbird - Selasphorus platycerus
- Breeds in south and central Rockies and mountains of the Great Basin south into western Texas and Mexico; winters in Mexico
- migrates northward through lowlands in the spring and south through the mountains late summer
- classic hummingbird of the mountainous west
Buff-bellied Hummingbird - Amazilia yucatanensis
- resides in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala
- found in south Texas in summer
Calliope Hummingbird - Stellula calliope
- summers in mountains of western North America from the southwestern parts of Canada to Baja; winters in Mexico
- migrates northwest in early spring through Pacific lowlands; southeast in late summer through the Rocky Mountain region
- smallest of North American hummers but despite size is able to withstand cold summer nights at high elevations in the Rockies
Costa's Hummingbird - Calypte costae
- found in southwestern United States; mainly Arizona, California and New Mexico
- many hummers that nest in the desert will migrate west in the spring
Magnificent Hummingbird - Eugenes fulgens
- found in the southwestern United States to Panama; strays have been seen as far north as Minnesota
- migrates only a short distance south into Mexico for winter; few will overwinter in canyons of Arizona
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris
- only hummingbird found east of the Great Plains on a regular basis
- found in southeastern Canada to Gulf states; winters in south Texas, south Florida and western Panama
- partial to bee balm, trumpet creeper, columbine and red salvia
Rufous Hummingbird - Selasphorus rufus
- southwestern Oregon to southwestern California; winters in Mexico
- champion of long-distance migration. In spring moves northward through Pacific lowlands. Then beginning in late June moves through the Rocky Mountains and Sierra following the seasonal blooming of flowers; winters in Mexico but has been seen as far north as Alaska
- feisty and aggressive, will defend flowers or feeders from other birds
Violet-crowned Hummingbird - Amazilia violiceps
- found in a few places of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico
- seen mostly in summer
Hand Blown Glass Hummingbird Feeders
Plants listed by region to Attract Hummingbirds to your Garden
Central/Southern California |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis) crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa) shrimp plant (Justica brandgeana) pineapple sage 'ruby' (Salvia elegans) California Indian pink (Silene californica) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Pacific Northwest |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa) Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum) penstemon (Penstemon sp.) hidge-nettle (Stachys cooleyae) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Northeast |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) coral bells (Huchera sanguinea) bee-balm (Monarda didyma) wild sweet William (Phlox maculata) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Southeast |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) standing cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) fire pink (Silene virginica) bee-balm (Monarda didyma) Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Florida/Gulf Coast, Southern Texas |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
scarlet hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) standing cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) shrimp plant (Justica brandegeana) firecracker bush (Russelia equisetiformis) autumn sage (Salvia greggii) Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Western Mountains |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) scarlet lychnis (Lynchnis chalcedonica) horsemint (Monarda fistulosa) penstemon (Penstemon bridgesii) longleaf phlox (Phlox longifolia) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Southwest |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
Arizona penstemon (Penstemon pseudospectabilis) autumn sage (Salvia greggii) Lemmon's sage (Salvia lemmonii) mountain sage (Salvia regla) Mexican pink (Silene laciniata) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |
Midwest |
|||
ANNUALS |
VINES |
||
PERENNIALS |
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) coral bells (Huchera sanguinea) bee-balm (Monarda didyma) fire pink (Silene virginica) |
||
SHRUBS |
TREES |