Back to photostream

Allen's Hummingbird on yellow rose South Coast Botanic Garden 169 SCBG Southern California_

Named for Charles Andrew Allen, a California taxidermist, the bird was first classified in 1877. An Allen’s hummingbird is about 3 inches long, slightly smaller than Anna’s hummingbirds found in the same gardens. Allen’s are similar to rufous hummers, but that species nests farther north.

Allen’s stick pretty firmly to the land along the shore in California and southern Oregon. In the late summer they head south for central Mexico, around the Mexico City area, to spend the winter. Some may begin leaving in the northern areas of their range in July, while most head south in August. There is a small pocket around Los Angeles and the Channel Islands where the Allen’s hummingbird remains year-round. The Allen’s that winter in Mexico start to head back north early in the year, getting back to their grounds on the Pacific coast as early as January, but typically February and March.

 

Melanie Mc Gruff

birdfeederhub.com

77,133 views
1,873 faves
251 comments
Uploaded on September 16, 2022
Taken on December 29, 2019