The Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) In Profile

Standing at a small 3″ to 3 1/2″, the adult male Allen’s Hummingbird is quite colorful. His sides are a cinnamon-like color. Furthermore, he has a rusty dark tail, as well as rump. His cheeks and his throat are a deep-orange color. The male’s bronze-green back, head, and wings are accentuated with an amazing metallic shimmer. The adult female, on the other hand, has a bronze-green top with rusty pale sides, and her throat is a whitish color.

Did you ever see the exceptional aerial courtship 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.

Nesting perferences of the female Allen’s Hummingbird… She usually searches for a nesting site in thickets or forests, preferring live oak, eucalyptus, or tangles of vines to support the nest.

Breeding and wintering locations of the Allen’s Hummingbird… You will find them along the California coast as well as on coastal islands during breeding months. The northern regions, towards the Oregon border, is another preferred breeding area for them. In winter they will be found in the northwestern parts of Mexico, but some stragglers have actually been seen as far as Alabama, Louisiana, as well as in British Columbia. This is most likely due to heavy storms.

Habitats preferred by the Allen’s Hummingbird… The Allen’s habitats are reasonably varied and they seem fonder of gardens where there are open spaces and good vegetation. They can often be seen around golf courses and city parks; along rivers and stream areas; bushy areas with willows, poison oak, and dogwood; all along the bottom of canyons; and often along mountain meadows. The male tends to stake out locations where it is very shrubby, and the females prefer groupings of blackberry thickets, dense vegetation and willows.

Plant life favored by the Allen’s Hummingbird… They are attracted to all nectar blossoms, particularly these… Agave, century plant (Agave americana); Indian paintbrushes (Castilleja spp.); California lilacs (Ceanothus spp.); California fuchsia (Zauschneria californica) in late summer through fall; Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp., especially L. involucrata); Monkey flowers (Mimulus spp.); and Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca).

Bird-watching strategies concerning 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.

See for your own self just how comparable the two hummingbird species are. Go to NameThatHummingbird.com for additional pictures and the latest stories regarding Allen’s Hummingbird and the Rufous Hummingbird. (Credits for image… Ron Wolf – http://www.flickr.com/photos/rwolf/2303953486/)