Hummingbirds Found in Washington: (Pictures and Sounds)

This article identifies and describes Washington hummingbirds, where in Washington they are seen, and whether they are year-round, seasonal, or rare vagrant residents.

Which species of Washington hummingbirds are found in the state?

Anna’s, Rufous, Calliope, Black-chinned, Costa’s, Broad-tailed, Allen’s, Ruby-throated, and Broad-billed hummingbirds are the 9 species documented as seen in Washington, listed in order of frequency seen.

Sighting Maps:

These 9 species of hummingbirds are documented as being seen in Washington by sighting maps, listed in the order of frequently seen:

• Anna’s (Calypte anna)
• Rufous (Selasphorus rufus)
• Calliope (Selasphorus calliope)
• Black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri)
• Costa’s (Calypte costae)
• Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus)
• Allen’s (Selasphorus sasin)
• Ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)
• Broad-billed (Cynanthus latirostris)

These 9 hummingbirds species found in Washington are further classified into three groups:
Year-round residents, Seasonal, and Rare/Vagrant visitors.

Hummingbirds:	Year-Round, Seasonal, Rare/Vagrant
Anna’s	Year-Round
Rufous	Seasonal
Calliope	Seasonal
Black-chinned	Seasonal
Costa’s	Rare/Vagrant
Broad-tailed	Rare/Vagrant
Allen’s	Rare/Vagrant
Ruby-throated	Rare/Vagrant
Broad-billed	Rare/Vagrant

Washington, known as The Evergreen State, is located in the Pacific Northwest near British Columbia and Canada.
It is home to one species of hummingbird out of the nine species listed for this state, the Anna’s hummingbird. The remaining eight are all seasonal migrants to the state.

See my article:
Hummingbird Migration in Washington

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Washington.

Year-Round Washington Hummingbirds:

The Anna’s hummingbird is the only classified year-round resident in Washington.

This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds that are year-round residents residing in Washington 365 days a year and do not migrate.

Contrary to popular belief, hummingbirds can withstand far lower temperatures than most people would expect.

Some banded hummingbirds have been observed at temperatures as low as -9 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -36 degrees Fahrenheit, according to eBird.org.

See my article:
3 Reasons Why Hummingbirds Are Banded

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Washington.

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Calypte anna) 

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Calypte
Species: C. anna

The Anna’s hummingbirds are year-round residents to Washington, Oregon and California in the Western United States.

Living along the western coastline of North America, the Anna’s hummingbirds starts from southern Canada all the way to northern Baja California.
They are commonly seen in the western area of Puget Sound in Washington.

According to the North Central Washington Audubon Society (NCWAS) Anna’s hummingbirds are present in North Central Washington year-round and they are successful breeding there.

According to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
(Willapa NWR), Anna’s hummingbirds are known to nest in Willapa NWR or nearby areas.

See the current sighting map of Anna’s hummingbirds in Washington.

For more pictures and information on Anna’s hummingbirds.

Seasonal Washington Hummingbirds:

The Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned hummingbirds are the 3 classified seasonal Washington hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds that fit within this category are those that temporality pass through Arizona as part of their migratory pattern during spring and fall migration.

Hummingbirds move south to spend the winter in Mexico and Central America in the fall, after migrating north in the spring to reproduce.

Some seasonal hummingbirds will remain in Washington for the entire winter by choice, injury, or old age.

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Washington.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus rufus)

Conservation Status: Near threatened
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. rufous

Rufous hummingbirds are located in western North America and are a migrating species.
They breed in the north from southern Alaska and most travel all the way south to winter in Mexico and are a seasonal visitor to Washington.

They are the second most commonly seen hummingbird in Washington, behind the Anna’s hummingbird.

The Rufous hummingbird breeds and nests in Washington.
All other hummingbirds seen in Washington are just passing through to continue their journey North into the eastern half of the United States all the way into Canada to their nesting destination.

Breeding map for Rufous hummingbirds that breed and nest in Washington, reported by ebird.org

See the current sighting map of Rufous hummingbirds in Washington.

For more pictures and information on Rufous hummingbirds.

Photo Taken: Long Beach, Washington

Photo Taken: Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, WA

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus calliope)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. calliope

Calliope hummingbirds are located in western North America and are a migrating species.
Most travel all the way south to winter in Mexico making them seasonal summer visitors to Washington.
They are the third most seen hummingbird in Washington behind the Rufous hummingbird.

The breeding range of Calliope hummingbirds include the mountainous regions of western North America, primarily in the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades, and the Sierra Nevada.

Breeding map for Calliope hummingbirds that breed and nest in Washington, reported by ebird.org

Sightings map shows Calliope hummingbirds have documented Washington sightings in every area east of Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.

For more pictures and information on Calliope hummingbirds.

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD – (Archilochus alexandri)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Archilochus
Species: A. alexandri

The Black-chinned hummingbird lives across the western United States, Mexico, and Canada.
They are a migratory seasonal bird that breeds in Washington and travels south to Mexico for the winter.

Breeding map for Black-chinned hummingbirds that breed and nest in Washington, reported by ebird.org

Current sighting map show Black-chinned hummingbirds have documented Washington sightings in every area east of Seattle and Tacoma. They are heavily seen in Spokane.

For more pictures and information on Black-chinned hummingbirds.

Rare/Vagrant Hummingbirds In Washington:

Costa’s, Broad-tailed, Allen’s, Ruby-throated, and Broad-billed hummingbirds are the 5 Washington hummingbirds classified as rare or vagrant listed in order of frequency seen.

This hummingbird classification is defined as hummingbirds residing in a group outside of their normal geographic range.

Not only do these species of hummingbirds have a wide variety of specific geographic ranges, but they are also known to sometimes interbreed with each other creating hybrids.

Read on to find out more about each of these hummingbird species as well as where and when they can be found in Washington.

COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Calypte costae)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Calypte
Species: C. costae

The Costa’s hummingbird, though usually residing in the Western United States, Mexico and as far south as Guatemala during the winter, is a rare accidental vagrant hummingbird to Washington.

Current sightings map show Costa’s hummingbirds have rare documented Washington sightings in the areas of Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Yakima.

For more pictures and information on Costa’s hummingbirds.

BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD – (Selsaphoris platycercus)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selsaphoris
Species: S. platycercus

The Broad-tailed hummingbird is primarily found in the mountainous regions of western North America and migrates south to winter in Mexico and Guatemala.
They are an extremely rare/vagrant hummingbird to Washington.

Current Sightings map show Broad-tailed hummingbirds have rare documented Washington sightings in Walla Walla.

For more pictures and information on Broad-tailed hummingbirds.

ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus sasin)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. sasin

Allen’s hummingbirds commonly reside and nest along the West Coast of the United States and winter in Mexico, therefore they are extremely rare migratory visitors to Washington. 

Sightings map document the Allen’s hummingbird to have 2 extremely rare documented Washington sightings.

For more pictures and information on Allen’s hummingbirds.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD – (Archilochus colubris)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Archilochus
Species: A. colubris

Ruby-throated hummingbirds main residence is mostly in the Midwest and on the east coast of the United States, therefore they are an extremely rare accidental vagrant to Washington.

Sightings map show the Ruby-throated hummingbirds have 2 extremely rare documented Washington sightings.

For more pictures and information on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD –
(Cynanthus latirostris)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Cynanthus
Species: C. latirostris

Broad-billed hummingbirds are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and down into Central America.
They travel frequently to the United States close to the southern Mexican border.
Due to Washington’s location in the north eastern United States, Broad-billed hummingbirds are extremely rare.

Sightings map show Broad-billed hummingbirds have 1 extremely rare documented Washington sightings.

For more pictures and information on Broad-billed hummingbirds.

Keep your eyes peeled, observe and enjoy the multiple types of hummingbirds found in Washington!

See my article:
Hummingbird Migration in Washington State

Happy Hummingbird Watching!

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions