Allen's Hummingbird

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Each map is a visual guide to where a particular bird species may find the climate conditions it needs to survive in the future. We call this the bird’s “climatic range.”

The colors indicate the season in which the bird may find suitable conditions— blue for winter, yellow for summer (breeding), and green for where they overlap (indicating their presence year-round).

The darker the shaded area, the more likely it is the bird species will find suitable climate conditions to survive there.

 

The outline of the approximate current range for each season remains fixed in each frame, allowing you to compare how the range will expand, contract, or shift in the future.

 

The first frame of the animation shows where the bird can find a suitable climate today (based on data from 2000). The next three frames predict where this bird’s suitable climate may shift in the future—one frame each for 2020, 2050, and 2080.

You can play or pause the animation with the orange button in the lower left, or select an individual frame to study by clicking on its year.

Climate Endangered

Allen's Hummingbird

The darker the color, the more favorable the climate conditions are for survival. The outlined areas represent approximate current range for each season. More on reading these maps.

The darker the color, the more favorable the climate conditions are for survival. The outlined areas represent approximate current range for each season.

More on reading these maps.
Winter
Summer

Winter Range
Summer Range
Both Seasons
Zoom InOut
Focal Species
Finch/Flickr Creative Commons
Cool Facts

A male will dive from 30 meters in the air at speeds up to 60mph to impress females or intimidate fellow competing males.

There are two subspecies of Allen’s Hummingbird: Selasphorus sasin sasin and Selasphorus sasin sedentarius. They don’t look significantly different from one another, but the former migrates and the latter does not.

During the breeding season, the male spends almost 70 percent of his time guarding his territory.

As with other hummingbird species, it forms no lasting pair bond. After mating, females build a nest and raise the young on their own, while males will continue to mate with other females.


By 2080, this hummingbird is expected to lose 90 percent of its current breeding range, according to Audubon’s climate models. In order to adapt, this colorful species may have to transition from coastal areas to more inland ones as its climate space shifts—and find the nectar it needs there.

Species Range Change from 2000 to 2080

The size of the circles roughly indicates the species’ range size in 2000 (left) and 2080 (right).

The amount of overlap between the 2000 circle and the 2080 circle indicates how stable the range will be geographically. Lots of overlap means the bird’s range doesn’t shift much. No overlap means the species will leave its current range entirely.

About This Bird

Close relative of the Rufous Hummingbird, and almost identical to it in some plumages, Allen’s Hummingbird has a much more restricted summer range. While the Rufous nests from Wyoming to southern Alaska, Allen’s nests only in coastal regions of California and southwestern Oregon. During migration seasons, however, they overlap extensively, both traveling to southern Mexico for the winter. Within its summer range, Allen’s Hummingbird is commonly seen in back yards and city parks, where males will perform their spectacular display dives to warn rival males away and attract the attention of females.

Cool Facts

A male will dive from 30 meters in the air at speeds up to 60mph to impress females or intimidate fellow competing males.

There are two subspecies of Allen’s Hummingbird: Selasphorus sasin sasin and Selasphorus sasin sedentarius. They don’t look significantly different from one another, but the former migrates and the latter does not.

During the breeding season, the male spends almost 70 percent of his time guarding his territory.

As with other hummingbird species, it forms no lasting pair bond. After mating, females build a nest and raise the young on their own, while males will continue to mate with other females.


Birds at Risk

Explore more birds threatened by climate change around the country.

Allen's Hummingbird
Baird's Sparrow
Bald Eagle
Brown Pelican
Burrowing Owl
Cerulean Warbler
Common Loon
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Golden Eagle
Greater Sage-Grouse
Hooded Oriole
Mississippi Kite
Northern Shoveler
Osprey
Piping Plover
Ruffed Grouse
Rufous Hummingbird
Spotted Owl
Tundra Swan
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-billed Magpie

You Can Help

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