Allen's Hummingbird Identification

Adult male

Compact and stocky hummingbird. Adult males have a reddish-orange throat and an orange belly.

Female/immature

Perched female/immature Allen's Hummingbirds can be difficult to separate from Rufous Hummingbirds.

Adult male

Note the very narrow tail feathers when the tail is spread. Adult males are coppery below and bronze-green above with a coppery tail.

Adult male

Female/immature

Though difficult to see look for narrow outer tail feathers on flying birds to separate them from Rufous Hummingbirds. This video has no audio.

Female/immature male

Females/immatures have a bronze-green back. Although subtle, note coppery eyebrow.

Immature male

Females/immatures are bronze-green above with paler coppery sides. They both have bits of bronze spotting on their throats, though females have more spots and a small patch of reddish orange in the center of the throat.

Adult female

The female builds the nest, incubates the eggs, and takes care of the nestlings without help from the male.

Female/immature male

Females/immatures are very difficult to separate from females/immatures Rufous Hummingbird. Separated by shape of spread tail; narrow outer tail feathers on Allen's, but wide on Rufous.

Adult male

Adult male

Breeds in coastal forest, scrub, and chaparral along a narrow strip that stretches up the coast from California to southern Oregon.