West · Pacific Flyway
Hummingbirds in California
Hummingbirds in California come down to 9 species with regular eBird records, led by the Anna's Hummingbird. Together they account for 2,045,173 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 3.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in North America and the only ones that routinely hover. They feed on flower nectar and small insects, and almost every species is migratory, so which hummingbirds you see — and when — depends heavily on where you live.
Hummingbirds in California: every species, most-reported first
Every hummingbird with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) — 1,417,315 records, 2.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) — 451,893 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae) — 69,523 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) — 55,900 records, 0.09% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in August.
5. Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) — 41,133 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in March, April, July and August with a peak in April.
6. Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) — 7,729 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to July and peaking in April.
7. Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) — 1,285 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in February, October, November and December with a peak in October.
8. Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) — 202 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from February to July and peaking in June.
9. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) — 193 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September with a peak in September.
When to see hummingbirds in California
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hummingbirds are most prominent in April, August and May and least in November and December. 3 of the 9 species are year-round — Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird and Costa's Hummingbird — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Black-chinned Hummingbird arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak August); Calliope Hummingbird arrives around April and is mostly gone after July (peak April); Broad-tailed Hummingbird arrives around February and is mostly gone after July (peak June).
Passage migrants. Rufous Hummingbird is reported mainly in March, April, July and August; Broad-billed Hummingbird is reported mainly in February, October, November and December; Ruby-throated Hummingbird is reported mainly in September.
Attracting hummingbirds to California backyards
A clean nectar feeder (plain sugar water, no dye) and native tubular flowers are the two things that reliably bring hummingbirds into a yard. Put feeders up a couple of weeks before the first arrivals listed below and keep them up until the last departures.
In California the hummingbird most likely to turn up is the Anna's Hummingbird, a year-round resident, followed by the Allen's Hummingbird. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Hummingbirds in California: FAQ
How many species of hummingbirds are there in California?
9 species of hummingbirds have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
What is the most common hummingbird in California?
The Anna's Hummingbird, with 1,417,315 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Allen's Hummingbird with 451,893. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hummingbirds in California?
April, August and May, when the combined share of California eBird records belonging to hummingbirds is highest. Summer visitors such as the Black-chinned Hummingbird arrive around April.
More birds in California
Hummingbirds in other states
Hummingbirds in California: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: California records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Trochilidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.