Did you ever see the unique aerial courting flights of the Allen’s Hummingbird? All Allen’s males have a distinctive flight and aerial display. They will fly in several low arc sequences, which reaches its highlight at the bottom of these arcs, when a clear buzzing and some squeaking sounds is heard. This is followed by a very steep vertical climb, which then ends in a abrupt fall back towards the ground. When it reaches the base point of this downwards dive, there is another ripping-type noise resulting from the air that surged straight through its tail feathers.
Habits of the nesting female Allen’s Hummingbird… She spends a lot of her time searching for the ideal spot to nest in. The nesting spot she chooses will most likely be in a forest of live oaks, a eucalyptus thicket, or tangled vines.
Seasonal destinations of the Allen’s Hummingbird… Their breeding range is along the coast of California and on coastal islands, and north to the Oregon border. Its winter range is in northwestern Mexico. A few stragglers have actually ended up in Alabama, Louisiana, and British Columbia – probably because of storms.
The Allen’s Hummingbird habitat… The Allen’s have a varied habitat and they seem to love gardens with a mixture of vegetation and open spaces. You could see them in parks and many golf courses, too. They are also very fond of bushy areas with willows, dogwood, and poison oak and are also seen along the bottoms of canyons, close to rivers and streams, as well as in the mountain meadows. The damp ares where fog tends to settle is another one of their favorites. The male will stake out locations in various shrubby areas, which can be found along streams and canyons. The females group together in dense vegetation, such as blackberry thickets and willows.
The Allen’s Hummingbird favors this plant life… They tend to be drawn to nectar-producing blossoms, such as Indian paintbrushes, century plant, agave, Tree tobacco, Honeysuckles, California lilacs, California fuchsia (from the late summer months through to the fall), and Monkey flowers.
Bird-watching tips for identifying the Allen’s Hummingbird… Follow these techniques for identifying the Allen’s hummingbird in the field or at your feeders. Look carefully to distinguish the Allen’s from the very similar Rufous. Even though these male hummingbirds look very similar from the front, the Rufous has a rust-colored back, while the Allen’s sports a green-feathered back. The adult female Allen’s is so nearly identical to the Rufous adult female that only experts can recognize the difference. The adult female Allen’s Hummingbird has somewhat narrower outer tail feathers than the female Rufous.
Find out for yourself just how comparable both of these hummingbird species are. Drop by NameThatHummingbird.com for more pictures and the most recent stories on the Allen’s Hummingbird along with the Rufous Hummingbird.