Costa’s Hummingbird: Identification, Range, and Behavior

The desert is a strange place to make a living on flowers, and yet the Costa’s Hummingbird has made it home. This is the hummingbird of the Sonoran and Mojave, a small, compact, hunched little bird that nests in late winter, feeds at ocotillo and chuparosa, and clears out before the worst of the summer heat arrives.

Hummingbirds in the Southwest: Species, Seasons, and Gardening

The desert Southwest is the hummingbird capital of the United States. Two states dominate the all-time lists, with Texas holding the longest at nineteen recorded species and Arizona just behind. But Arizona is where you actually see them

Hummingbirds in California: Species, Seasons, and Gardening

Anna’s Hummingbird lives here all year and does not leave. Costa’s stays put in parts of the south. And Allen’s Hummingbird has split into two populations: one that still flies to Mexico each winter, and one that has stopped bothering and now breeds in Los Angeles gardens twelve months a year. In a state with a Mediterranean climate, mild winters, and gardens that flower in January, the ancient pressure to fly south has eased considerably.

Types of Hummingbirds: A Field Guide to North American Species

Somewhere between 300 and 360 species of hummingbird live in the Americas, but you do not need to know all of them to identify the one hovering at your feeder. North of Mexico the list is far shorter and very learnable.

Hummingbird Sounds, Chirps & Territorial Behavior Explained

Do hummingbirds chirp? Yes, and they also sing, whistle, and chirp with their tail feathers. Discover what every hummingbird sound means and why they make it.

Why Are Hummingbirds So Colorful? The Science of the Gorget

If the animal kingdom had a fashion week, male hummingbirds would be the undisputed supermodels of the avian world