Selasphorus sasin
The Allen's Hummingbird, Selasphorus sasin, is a small, compact species famed for its vibrant rufous and green plumage and hyper-aggressive territoriality. Males are unmistakable with their fiery orange-red gorget, rusty flanks and tail, and iridescent green back and crown, typically measuring 8-9 cm in length and weighing around 3 grams. Females are more subdued, sporting a green back, rufous flanks, white underparts, and often a scattering of iridescent bronze or red spots on a whitish thro...
Primarily found in coastal scrub, chaparral, open woodlands, and suburban gardens, often near water sources. They occur from sea level up to approximately 2,000 meters in elevation.
Mainly feeds on nectar from a diverse array of tubular flowers, supplemented significantly by small insects (such as gnats, flies, and aphids) and spiders. They forage by hovering at flowers, gleaning, and hawking insects in flight.
Allen's Hummingbirds are intensely diurnal and highly active from dawn till dusk, typically roosting alone in sheltered vegetation during the night. Their foraging strategies involve expertly hovering at flowers for nectar, hawking insects out of the air in swift pursuit, and gleaning small arthr...
The breeding range of Allen's Hummingbird is primarily restricted to a narrow coastal strip of western North America, extending from extreme southern Oregon south through coastal California, reaching as far south as Los Angeles County. A distinct subspecies, *S. s. sedentarius*, is resident year-...
Least Concern
- Male Allen's Hummingbirds perform spectacular 'J-shaped' or 'pendulum' courtship dives, reaching speeds up to 60 mph while emitting a loud buzz. - They are one of the earliest hummingbird species to initiate their northward spring migration along the Pacific Coast. - The subspecies *Selasphorus...