Bird guide · Selasphorus sasin
Allen's Hummingbird
What the Allen's hummingbird eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant; Channel Islands and nearby mainland birds are resident
- Size
- 3.4 in (8.5 cm)
- Eats
- nectar
- Feeds
- nectar feeder
- Most common
- California, Delaware, Louisiana
Food
What do Allen's hummingbirds eat?
At feeders, Allen's hummingbirds take nectar.
At feeders it may hover or perch.
Feeder that suits it
A hummingbird nectar feeder with one part sugar to four parts water.
Range
Where do Allen's hummingbirds live?
Breeds mostly in coastal California and southern Oregon; winters to southern Mexico. By share of all bird sightings, Allen's hummingbirds are most common in California (0.7%).
States where Allen's hummingbirds are most common
- California0.7%
- Delaware0.00%
- Louisiana0.00%
- Texas0.00%
- Kentucky0.00%
- Alabama0.00%
- Pennsylvania0.00%
- Ohio0.00%
- Arizona0.00%
- Tennessee0.00%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are Allen's hummingbirds, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the Allen's hummingbird migrate?
Migrant; Channel Islands and nearby mainland birds are resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are Allen's hummingbirds, by month.
Identification
How to identify the Allen's hummingbird
Male: Like Rufous Hummingbird but with a green back.
Female: Almost identical to female Rufous.
Size: 3.4 in (8.5 cm)
On camera
Getting the Allen's hummingbird on a feeder camera
You need a hummingbird feeder camera – hummingbirds never visit seed feeders. See feeder cameras compared for the nectar models.
Questions
Allen's Hummingbird: questions
What do Allen's hummingbirds eat?
At feeders, nectar.
Do Allen's hummingbirds migrate?
Migrant; Channel Islands and nearby mainland birds are resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do Allen's hummingbirds live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in California, Delaware, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut.
What does a female Allen's hummingbird look like?
Almost identical to female Rufous.