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Welcome to Hummingbird Central!
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We love watching hummingbirds, those marvelous, tiny birds that flit around our home gardens, and are experiencing the end of the 2023 hummingbird season as the days become shorter and cooler weather prevails as we move past Thanksgiving into December!
Where ever you live in the U.S.A., Canada, or beyond, this website can provide you with valuable information about these amazing birds.
On this website we present highlights of common hummingbird species found in North America, as an entry-level learning resource for those interested in these magnificent creatures!
Spring Migration Tracking Maps
Information is presented on the amazing process of hummingbird migration in the spring and fall of each year.
The tracking of the annual spring hummingbird migration is done with the help of our viewers as they submit their first hummingbird sightings from their locales. The project runs from late January through mid-May each year.
We began posting sightings to the 2023 Hummingbird Migration Map in January. Our 2023 migration tracking project ended on May 14, 2023 as hummingbirds were reaching the northernmost areas of their breeding grounds in the Canadian provinces.
White Hummingbirds
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Numerous reports have been received in 2021 and 2022 of rare sightings of Albino and white Leucistic Hummingbirds.
Attracting Hummingbirds
We also enjoy hummingbird gardening, and designing our landscape to provide food and shelter for a variety of hummingbirds.
Our site includes ways to help you attract hummingbirds to your home landscape. We'll share our experience from our own landscape which includes Lantana, Zinnias, Pentas, Salvia, Batface Cuphea, and other hummingbird-friendly annuals and perennials.
Hummingbird Feeders
The selection of hummingbird feeders is large, and varied, and we provide guidance, and our personal experience, in selecting and maintaining feeders and nectar solutions.
Hummingbird Central Showcase
We've developed a short YouTube video featuring the hummingbird species found in the United States and Canada.
It also includes some charts comparing similiar species and has a special section dealing with white and albino hummingbirds.
It runs for about 6 minutes, and has soft music to accompany it ... take a look, at the Hummingbird Showcase
Many hummingbirds look alike ... how do I tell the difference?
Hummingbirds are among the smallest of all birds, with most species measuring in the 3"-5" range. They have long slender needlelike bills adapted for reaching deep into tubular flowers.
But many hummingbirds look alike, and sometimes juveniles and females are really difficult to differentiate. Our website includes side-by-side comparison charts of several common species that feature similar markings and coloration.
We Love Birding!
And we love watching all bird life! While this website is oriented to hummingbirds, we have a section on other backyard birds and a special report on our recent trip to the National Aviary of Colombia.
Thanks for visiting, and please join us as we enjoy another fun hummingbird season in 2023!
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Species
Hummingbirds are found only in the Western Hemisphere, with half the species living in the "equatorial belt" between 10 degrees north and south of the equator. Over 330 species and 115 genera exist, mostly south of the U.S. Fewer than two dozen species venture into the U.S. and Canada; only a few species remain year-round.
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Migration
Many hummingbirds spend the winter in Central America or Mexico, and migrate north to their breeding grounds in the southern U.S. and western states as early as February, and to areas further north later in the spring. The first arrivals in spring are usually males. Some, however, do not migrate, in areas like California and the upper Pacific coast.
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Feeders
Planting the right flowers is an important element in establishing the right environment for attracting hummingbirds. But you need another key attractant: the hummingbird feeder! They come in all shapes and sizes; some are plastic, others glass. Some are vertical and others horizontal.
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Facts
Hummingbirds comprise the family Trochilidae, among the smallest of birds, with most species measuring in the 3"-5" range. They weigh only a few grams.
They feature long slender needlelike bills adapted for reaching deep into tubular flowers to extract nectar. The beat of their wings is so rapid, up to 55 times a second, that a "humming" sound is produced, and the wings appear blurred. They are the only bird species that can hover, and fly backwards, or even upside down.
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Attracting
Hummingbirds, like other birds and other animals, need food, water, and shelter, the basic necessities of life. Favorite flowers of hummingbirds are often red in color, and tubular in shape, so we include many plants with these features.
We also enjoy hummingbird gardening, and designing our landscape to provide food and shelter for hummingbirds.
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How to Identify
Hummingbirds are among the smallest of all birds, with most species measuring in the 3"-5" range. They feature long slender needlelike bills adapted for reaching deep into tubular flowers.
But many hummingbirds look alike, and sometimes juveniles and females are really difficult to differentiate. Shown below are side-by-side comparison charts of several common species that feature similar markings and coloration.
READ MORE