Hummingbirds in California 2025

California is one of the best places across the US to watch the world's smallest bird with tiny wings flapping at an incredible rate. Some hummers stay here year-round, while others come from afar to nest or just migrate across the state for more convenient climates. If you're chasing these beautiful creatures, your best bet is between March and September, when the local population is replenished with the migratory hummers. Even so, the first migrants might arrive in Southern California as early as January or February, and they typically stay until October.

Types of hummingbirds in California

There are over 360 species of hummingbirds existing in various places world-wide, and 14 of them are found in California. Still, only eight types can become your frequent sighting within the Golden State. These include the resident Anna's, Allen's, and Calliope hummingbirds, and also the migratory Black-chinned, Rufous, Costas, Violet-crowned, and Green-violetears hummingbirds.

Southern California hummingbirds

Southern California is especially abundant in native Costa's hummingbirds (Calypte costae) and Calliope (Selasphorus calliope) hummingbirds. Yet, being native to So Cal, some Calliope hummers still prefer to winter in Mexico and breed in the Rocky Mountains. This fact makes them the world's smallest long-distant migrant bird. Other migrant hummingbird species commonly spotted in Southern California is the Green-violetears or Mexican-violetears (Colibri thalassinus) hummingbird. As a bonus, here you might catch a glimpse of Xantus's Hummingbirds (Basilinna xantusii), a rare vagrant from Baja California.

Hummingbirds in Northern California

As for Northern California, its most widespread species must be Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna). You are particularly likely to see females and their chicks during the nesting season. The native Allen's hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin), both males and females, also favor local weather conditions and prefer nesting in the gardens. But outside of the nesting season, they are not particularly social and often fight for their feeding territories. Besides the resident hummers, Nothern California shelters the migrant Black-chinned hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri), which usually arrive in April.

Where to see hummingbirds in California

The most popular locations, especially for the resident hummingbirds, include Cabrillo National Monument, the University of California Arboretum Botanic Garden, and the San Francisco Bay Area. But these tiny fellows can also be encountered practically everywhere across the state, including your backyard. All you have to do to lure some hummers to your place is plant the right flowers or put out the feeders with sugary water.