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
Hummingbirds: Allen's, Anna's, black-chinned, calliope, Costa's, rufous

ANNUALS
impatiens (Impatiens hybr.)
toadflax (Linaria maroccana)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)

  

VINES
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
trailing abutilon (Abutilon megapotamicum)

PERENNIALS
aloe vera (Aloe perryi)
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja californica)
scarlet bugler (Penstemon labrosus)
scarlet larkspur (Delphinium cardinale)
fuchsia 'red spider' (Fuchsia hybr.)

  
scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis)
crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
shrimp plant (Justica brandgeana)
pineapple sage 'ruby' (Salvia elegans)
California Indian pink (Silene californica)

SHRUBS
Chinese lantern (Abutilon hybridum)
red bird-of-paradise (Casalpinia pulcherrima)
crimson bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus)
Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis)
lantana (Lantana camara)

  

TREES
mimosa (Albizzia julibrissin)
orange, lemon, grapefruit (Citrus sp.)
silk oak (Grevillea robusta)
tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
red-flowering eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.)

 

Pacific Northwest
Hummingbirds: Anna's, black-chinned, calliope, rufous

ANNUALS
satin flower (Clarkia amoena)
foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
gladiolus (Gladiolus hybr.)
grand collomia (Collomia grandiflora)
velvet flower (Salpiglosis sinuata)
nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

  

VINES
orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
Chilean bellflower (Laphgeria rosea)
scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccinea)

PERENNIALS
delphinium (Delphinium hybridum)
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja californica)
bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
fire weed (Epilobium angustifolium)

  
red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria)
crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum)
penstemon (Penstemon sp.)
hidge-nettle (Stachys cooleyae)

SHRUBS
manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.)
twinberry (Lonicera invulcrata)
rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)

  

TREES
California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

 

Northeast
Hummingbirds: ruby-throated

ANNUALS
snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
gladiolus (Gladiolus hybr.)
impatiens (Impatiens hybr.)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)
nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

  

VINES
morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccinea)

PERENNIALS
delphinium 'King Arthur' (Delphinium hybridum)
butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

  
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
coral bells (Huchera sanguinea)
bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
wild sweet William (Phlox maculata)

SHRUBS
buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
cardinal shrub (Weigela florida)

  

TREES
redbud (Cercis canadensis)
hawthorn (Crategus sp.)
tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

 

Southeast
Hummingbirds: ruby-throated

ANNUALS
sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)

  

VINES
red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
cross vine (Bignonia capreolata)
cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

PERENNIALS
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua)
bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

  
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
standing cypress (Ipomopsis rubra)
fire pink (Silene virginica)
bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica)

SHRUBS
rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
lantana (Lantana camara)
azalea (Rhododendron sp.)
coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)

  

TREES
red buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
crab apple (Malus coronaria)
tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)
black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

 

Florida/Gulf Coast, Southern Texas
Hummingbirds: black-chinned, buff-bellied, ruby-throated, rufous

ANNUALS
garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina)
impatiens (Impatiens hybr.)
lemon mint (Monarda citriodora)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)
annual phlox (Phlox drummondii)

  

VINES
red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

PERENNIALS
Mexican butterflyweed (Asclepias curassivica)
canna (Cana inidca)
Mexican cigar plant (Cuphea micropetala)
bromeliads (Tillandsia, Guzmania)

  
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
flame flower (Anisacanthus wrightii)
coral bean (Erythrina herbacea)
scarlet bush (Hamela patens)
purple cestrum (Cestrum elegans)
calico bush (Lantana horrida)
Turk's cap (Malvaviscus drummondii)

  

TREES
dessert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
orange, lemon, grapefruit (Citrus sp.)
royal poinciana (Delonix regia)
loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

 

Western Mountains
Hummingbirds: black-chinned, calliope, rufous, broad-tailed

ANNUALS
snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
tiny trumpet (Collomia linearis)
impatiens (Impatiens hybr.)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)
nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

  

VINES
red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea)
orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa)
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

PERENNIALS
columbine (Aquilegia elegantula)
Wyoming paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia)
giant red paintbrush (Castilleja minata)
fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

  
scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)
scarlet lychnis (Lynchnis chalcedonica)
horsemint (Monarda fistulosa)
penstemon (Penstemon bridgesii)
longleaf phlox (Phlox longifolia)

SHRUBS
green-leaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula)
Siberian pea (Caragana arborescens)
flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
twinberry (Lonicera involucrata)
flowering currant (Ribes gordonianum)
blueberry (Vaccinium sp.)

  

TREES
Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
flowering crab (Malus sp.)
chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)
black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

 

Southwest
Hummingbirds: Allen's, Anna's, black-chinned, blue-throated, broad-billed, broad-tailed, calliope, Costa's, magnificent, rufous

ANNUALS
scarlet flax (Linum grandiflorum)
scarlet betony (Stachys coccinea)

  

VINES
red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
snapdragon vine (Asarina antirrhiniflora)
cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
glory flower (Eccremocarpus scaber)

PERENNIALS
bouvardia (Bowardia temifolia)
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis)
beardlip penstemon (Penstemon barbatus)
scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius)

  
Arizona penstemon (Penstemon pseudospectabilis)
autumn sage (Salvia greggii)
Lemmon's sage (Salvia lemmonii)
mountain sage (Salvia regla)
Mexican pink (Silene laciniata)

SHRUBS
desert honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi)
red bird-of-paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
bladderbush (Cleome isomeris)
ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)
yellow trumpetflower (Tecoma stans)

  

TREES
coral bean (Erythrina flabelliformis)
eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.)

 

Midwest
Hummingbirds: ruby-throated

ANNUALS
hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
gladiolus (Gladiolus hybr.)
spider flower (Cleome spinosa)
scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)
sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata)

  

VINES
morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)
trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

PERENNIALS
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

  
cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
coral bells (Huchera sanguinea)
bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
fire pink (Silene virginica)

SHRUBS
butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)
buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)
lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

  

TREES
Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
tuplip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
crab apple (Malus angustifolia)
black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)