Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!usc!apple!oliveb!oliven!mjm
From: mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: hummingbird rehabilitation/keeping cat away from aviary
Message-ID: <53461@oliveb.olivetti.com>
Date: 9 Jan 90 20:14:28 GMT
References: <1267@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>
Sender: news@oliveb.olivetti.com
Lines: 40

In article <1267@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>, denise@dadla.WR.TEK.COM (Denise Caire) writes:
> 
> P.S.
> Do humming birds migrate?  If they do, where to?

	Most species of North American hummingbirds do migrate. They
tend to winter in Mexico and Central/South America. Many of the Texas
and Arizona specialties live year-round in Mexico and points south,
but extend their breeding range into small limited areas of these two
states. These would include Lucifer, Broad-Billed, Violet-Crowned,
Blue-Throated, and Magnificent. Some are rare vagrants or breeders in
these two states; such as, Green Violet-Ear, Berylline, White-Eared,
and Plain-Capped Starthroat. Then there are a couple of West Indian
species that rarely make it into south Florida; Cuban Emerald and
Bahama Woodstar. I believe that the Buff-Bellied Hummingbird is a
year-round resident of the Rio Grande Valley.

	The Costa's Hummingbird, although migratory, has a range of
permanent residency that includes Baja and extreme northwestern
Mexico, southeast California, and southwest Arizona; such that this
bird can be found year-round in the U.S.

	The rest of the North American hummers are extremely migratory,
with the exception of one species; Anna's Hummingbird. This bird may
wander somewhat in winter in the southwest but, for all intents and
purposes, is nonmigratory. Its range extends along the entire west
coast of the U.S. as well as south into Baja and north into B.C. Its
original range was supposedly restricted to Baja and southern California,
but has gone through an explosive expansion in recent decades. It is
probably still expanding into Arizona.

	I recently read an interesting article about a Costa's hummer
that was visiting a feeder in Alaska this last fall. Not only was the
bird well out of range, but it was late in the season and the bird
was showing no inclination to migrate. The day before the first snow
fall of the season, the hummer was trapped and flown (free of charge)
to Washington state, where it was released into a meadow full of
flowers that was occupied by numerous hummers.

Mike