Hummingbirds of the Pacific Northwest — Mary's Pacific Northwest

Year-Round Resident

Anna's Hummingbird

Calypte anna

Anna's is the hummingbird most likely to visit a Northwest feeder in the middle of winter — it's the only one of the region's regular species that doesn't reliably migrate south. Males show off a shining rose-pink to fuchsia gorget that extends up over the crown of the head, flaring especially bright during courtship dives. The species was rare north of California a few decades ago, but it has expanded dramatically up the coast thanks to backyard feeders and winter-blooming garden plants.

SizeAbout 4 inches long
Male markingsRose-pink to magenta gorget and crown
Season herePresent year-round
HabitatGardens, woodland edges, urban parks

Anna's numbers have been rising steadily for decades — it's now one of the few North American hummingbirds actually expanding its range rather than shrinking.

Common Migrant

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Small, bright orange-brown, and famously feisty, the Rufous is often the hummingbird owners see most at Northwest feeders through spring and summer. It undertakes one of the longest migrations relative to body size of any bird on Earth, wintering as far south as Mexico and breeding as far north as southeast Alaska. Males will aggressively defend a feeder or flower patch against any hummingbird — including much larger species.

SizeAbout 3.75 inches long
Male markingsOrange-red gorget, rufous back and sides
Season hereSpring through late summer
HabitatGardens, forest edges, mountain meadows

In flight, the Rufous male's wingtips create a distinctive buzzy, insect-like whir sometimes described as a "bumblebee" sound.

Common Migrant

Calliope Hummingbird

Selasphorus calliope

The smallest breeding bird in North America, the Calliope is named for the Greek muse of poetry. Males display magenta streaks that fan out from a white throat like rays rather than a single solid patch of color. Despite its tiny size, it favors high-elevation meadows and is a common backyard bird in parts of the inland Northwest, including eastern Washington and Idaho.

SizeAbout 3.25 inches long
Male markingsMagenta throat rays on a white base
Season hereSpring through summer
HabitatHigh meadows, open forest, mountain shrubland

Weighing about as much as a ping-pong ball, the Calliope still makes an annual round-trip migration of several thousand miles to and from Mexico.

Regional Visitor

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

True to its name, the male Black-chinned Hummingbird shows a velvety black throat that only reveals a thin band of iridescent purple at its lower edge when the light catches it just right — otherwise it can look almost entirely black. It's a summer resident through much of the inland Northwest, with a breeding range that reaches from southern British Columbia down through Idaho and into Mexico, and it tends to favor riparian corridors along rivers and streams.

SizeAbout 3.75 inches long
Male markingsBlack throat, thin purple band at base
Season hereSpring through summer
HabitatStreamside cottonwoods, canyon bottoms, gardens

Black-chinned Hummingbirds often pump their tails while feeding, a habit that can help distinguish them from other species at a glance.

Mountain Visitor

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

A hummingbird of high country, the Broad-tailed favors mountain meadows and aspen groves from the Rockies west into Idaho and Montana, generally at higher elevations than its coastal relatives. Males display a brilliant rose-red gorget, and in flight their wings produce a distinctive high metallic trill, audible well before the bird itself comes into view — a trait unique among the region's hummingbirds.

SizeAbout 4 inches long
Male markingsRose-red gorget, trilling wingbeat
Season hereLate spring through summer
HabitatMountain meadows, aspen and pine forest

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds can tolerate the cold nights of high mountain meadows by dropping into torpor, a hibernation-like state that slows their heart rate dramatically to conserve energy.

At a glance

When to expect each species

Timing varies with elevation and latitude, but this gives a general sense of the season each species is present across the lower-elevation Northwest.

Species JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Anna's

Rufous

Calliope

Black-chinned

Broad-tailed

Feeder tip: Use a simple nectar mix of one part plain white sugar to four parts water, boiled and cooled — no dye needed. Clean feeders every few days in warm weather to keep the sugar water from fermenting.