Hummingbird with Blue-green Feathers

Here’s a delightful sight: a hummingbird with beautiful blue-green feathers in the United States.

A male Broad-billed Hummingbird has rich blue-green feathers. His colors make him look like a tropical hummingbird, with the red bill and contrasting the blue-green on his body.

The colors on the female are not at bright, but she has the reddish bill.

The Broad-billed Hummingbird comes north into Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. An occasionally a Broad-billed Hummingbird is seen in other states. Like most other hummingbirds in the U.S., the Broad-billed migrates.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum and southeastern Arizona are good places to see these beautiful birds. If you are making a special visit to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to see one, we suggest you call and ask if the birds are around.

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Allen’s Hummingbird in his Flowers

This Allen’s Hummingbird was guarding a patch of Salvia flowers.

In the Flowers …

Picture of an Allen's Hummingbird in his flowers — Allen’s Hummingbird

Allen’s Hummingbirds were busy in two large flower beds of Salvia and Bird of Paradise. There were at least two adult males in the area and an adult female. But we had no idea what their actual numbers were – there was too much chasing.

These Allen’s were in the Newport area of Southern California, close to the ocean. We saw them feed from these Salvia and also from the Lily of the Nile, another purple colored flower. This is a good example of local flowers that attract hummingbirds even if the flowers are not red in color.

As usual with the Allen’s Hummingbirds, they vocalized at each other. They were often easier to hear than to see.

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Hidden Nest

In a Busy Public Garden …

There is a hidden nest on this frond.

A hidden nest atop a frond — A hidden hummingbird nest

The frond leans over a bench in a garden. You could sit right below this hummingbird nest and not know it was there.

We would not have seen this hidden nest on our own. I was told about it. There had been two chicks. They had left the nest.

Clues

An empty hummingbird nest surrounded by many droppings on the surface of the plant frond — An empty, used hummingbird nest

Since we were too late to see the chicks, we looked at the nest for clues. All of the droppings on the leaf are a good sign. The hummingbird babies would have to have grown big to make that much waste. The nest is also flattened out, which happens as the babies get big.

Hummingbird chicks that have recently left the nest call out to their mother to be fed (a high-pitched “peep!). We did see an immature hummingbird nearby but did not hear any peeping or see any begging.

Picture of a young Allen's Hummingbird perching on a small branch — Young Allen’s Hummingbird

We concluded that this was likely an Allen’s Hummingbird nest. We based that conclusion on the many Allen’s Hummingbirds in this coastal Southern California garden. And the nest seemed a little smaller than the Anna’s Hummingbird nests we are used to seeing.

A male Allen's Hummingbird perches amid leaves in a Bottle Brush tree — Allen’s Hummingbird

The garden was busy – with visitors and with many Allen’s Hummingbirds. The hummingbirds were chasing each other during the middle of the day.

If you followed their buzzy, chattering calls, you could find them, high in the trees.

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Hummingbird GIF

Gorget Feathers – Allen’s Hummingbird GIF

This hummingbird GIF shows how light on a hummingbird’s gorget can change how we see the color. This Allen’s Hummingbird was guarding his patch of flowers in Southern California.

An Allen's Hummingbird turns his head in this animated GIF. His gorget feathers look dark brown, then bright orange. — Click to see him turn his head

Stretching …

Here’s something a hummingbird does slowly – stretching.

Coming in for a Landing GIF

Below is a series of pictures showing a hummingbird approaching, then landing on a feeder. Just for fun, we put these pictures into an animated hummingbird GIF.

Hummingbird GIF file shows a series of photos of a hummingbird coming to land on a feeder. — Click to see the landing

The photos are of an Anna’s Hummingbird, taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum during the spring of 2014. Several other hummingbirds were using the feeder on that day, including males. This bird was a little nervous on its approach, touching down, then backing away, then down.

San Diego Zoo Hummingbird Aviary

The San Diego Zoo Hummingbird Aviary had two striking residents when I visited this past summer. They were male White-necked Jacobin. White-necked Jacobin are definitely not local hummingbirds. They are usually found from southern Mexico, through Central America and into South America.

(NOTE: on my last visit, the two White-necked Jacobin were the only hummingbirds currently in the Aviary. On past visits we have seen different species. If the Aviary is your main reason for visiting the Zoo, please contact the Zoo and ask what is currently in the Aviary.)

The White-necked Jacobin is a hummingbird with dark blue and stark white feathers. — White-necked Jacobin

San Diego Zoo Hummingbird Aviary

The Hummingbird Aviary, also called the Hummingbird House, is small and tucked away. It is near the Discovery Outpost and fairly close to the Zoo entrance. Look for it near the Skyfari (aerial tram) ride.

Inside the Hummingbird House

The Hummingbird House is filled with lush plants. There are also feeders. If you go, look for the inverted amber bottles. The White-necked Jacobins would periodically emerge from their perches in the brush to drink from the feeders.

A tangle of lush plants and orange red blossoms grows right up to the walkway in the hummingbird exhibit — Inside the Hummingbird House

Several other tropical and exotic birds were on exhibit during my visit, but the White-necked Jacobin were the only actual hummingbirds. I learned from a docent and a staff member that the San Diego Zoo is currently focusing on exotic hummingbirds rather than local hummingbirds. There were many local hummingbirds on the Zoo and nearby park grounds. (The Desert Sonoran Museum Hummingbird Aviary exhibits hummingbirds found in the United States and Canada.)