A Wet(lands) and Wild(life) Guide to SoCal Birds: ALHU

Today’s entry in the Wet and Wild Guide is the Allen’s Hummingbird—or ALHU in bird code. Like many hummingbirds, the Allen’s is a ferocious and territorial little bird about the size of a flying gum ball. You’ll commonly see them around the coastal regions of southern California, but if you can’t spot them, keep an ear out instead. You’ll definitely hear them, as they scream at each other (and likely at you) quite a bit.

Fledgling Allen's Hummingbird (Newt Likier | WWCC)

Telling an Allen’s apart from the other similar species can be very difficult at a distance and if the animal is in-flight. They look very similar to Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds, all of which have a long beak (but not comically long like a Swordbill Hummingbird), earthy tones, and some iridescent bling under the chin. The males sparkle a lot more than the females, but that’s pretty typical in the animal kingdom.
 
In general, look for a green back, orange throat, orangish/brownish sides, and a brown tail. 

Allen's Hummingbird (Ellen Crotty | Macaulay Library)

If you’re trying to decide if the feisty gumball with wings is an Anna’s or an Allen’s, try to get a look at the size of the bird, the color of its throat, and its tail feathers. The Anna’s is a little bigger, but if you haven’t spent hours of your life birding, it might be hard to judge the size without the other species nearby for direct comparison. For the casual bird enthusiast, we recommend focusing on the throat and tail.
 
Easiest to spot at a distance, at least if the bird is male, is that sparkly throat. If the throat is magenta, that’s an Anna’s. If the sparkle is more of an orange, that’s an Allen’s. If you can’t tell or the bird might be female, it’s time to look at that tail. A brown rear end means Allen’s, while greener means Anna’s. Plus, female Allen’s have white tipped tails.

More difficult is discerning the Allen’s from the Rufous, which can appear almost identical to the untrained eye. In fact, you’d have to get pretty darn close to their tail feathers to truly make the distinction because the Rufous has notches in their feathers and the Allen’s does not.
 
If all else fails, I’ll let you in on a birding secret: generally speaking, nobody is going to fact check you. You can always make your best guess based on what you saw and where you were, and I’ll still be proud of you for trying. Even Jaret isn’t sure all the time.
 
If you want to attract some Allen’s to your home, placing some sugar water in a feeder is a fine lure. Check out the image below for instructions on how to keep your feeder perfect for your avian visitors. Just know that once an Allen’s has claimed that feeder as his own, you will be harassed if you go near it.

Next time you're buzzed by a glittering blur in your garden, take a moment—are you being screamed at by an Allen’s Hummingbird?
 
Good luck, and good looking!