Anna’s Hummingbird Nesting (Behavior, Eggs + Location)

Anna’s hummingbirds are native to the west coast of North America and spread eastward to the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains and Sierra Mountains. They are also found in the southern third of Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and extreme regions of northwestern Mexico.

Unlike most other birds, Anna’s hummingbirds primarily nest in winter and spring. Breeding populations nest in scrub or scrub oak habitats in the southern range, while further north the birds often nest in fir trees.

These hummingbirds prefer to nest in the branches of trees or shrubs, preferably near a rich source of nectar. We’ll discuss nest placement, materials, and other details below. Read on to discover more about the charming Anna Hummingbird!

Anna’s Hummingbird incubates her eggs in the nest

nest location

Where do Anna’s hummingbirds nest?

Ana’s hummingbird habitat primarily consists of bushland environments, but they also inhabit savannahs, coastal areas, scrubland, riparian woodlands, and urban areas—anywhere flowering plants are plentiful. The nest is placed near a nectar source, usually on a horizontal branch of a tree or shrub.

Do Anna’s hummingbirds nest in the same place every year?

Anna’s hummingbirds nest in the same area each year, but not necessarily in the same place. They also don’t reuse the same nest, but instead recycle old nest materials to rebuild new ones.

Are Anna’s hummingbirds nesting in the backyard?

Anna hummingbirds can be found nesting in backyards if the habitat is right. They need a leafy tree or shrub to nest in and a nearby source of nectar. If you have trees and a healthy garden in your yard, you may be attracting this hummingbird.

Female Anna’s Hummingbird sitting on the nest

Do Anna’s Hummingbirds Use Nest Boxes?

Anna’s hummingbirds don’t use nest boxes. They like to build their nests on forks of horizontal branches.

What tree do Anna’s hummingbirds nest in?

Sycamores, oaks, and eucalyptus are common nesting sites for Anna hummingbirds in Southern California and the Southwest. Douglas fir and giant fir are the most common nesting trees in British Columbia. They also utilize various shrubs, vines, and even poison oak.

How tall is Anna’s hummingbird nest?

Anna’s hummingbirds typically nest 6 to 20 feet off the ground. Nests may sometimes be higher than 20 feet.

Anna’s hummingbird nests are usually six to twenty feet off the ground

Nest Appearance

What does Anna’s hummingbird nest look like?

Anna’s hummingbird nest is cup-shaped. Facades often contain a combination of willow, sycamore leaves, cattails, eucalyptus flowers, thistles and small feathers. The inner cup is lined with softer downy materials including feathers, hair and plants.

The nest cup is bound together with cobwebs, insect cocoon fibers, occasionally hair, and tough plant material to help hold it together and in place. These hummingbirds also decorate their nests with moss, lichen, dead leaves and other plant debris.

How big is Anna’s hummingbird nest?

The outside of an Anna hummingbird’s nest is usually 3.8 to 4.4 cm in diameter and 3.2 to 4.1 cm in height. The average internal diameter is 2.5 cm and the internal depth is 1.6 to 1.9 cm.

Close up of an Anna Hummingbird’s nest with a chick inside

phenology

What time of year do Anna’s hummingbirds nest?

Anna’s hummingbirds breed in California, especially in bushland habitats, where they start nesting in November or December – as the winter rains arrive and the bush gooseberries begin to bloom. Because of the harsher winter weather in British Columbia, breeding populations in the area don’t start nesting until January or February.

Males arrive early in breeding areas to claim sovereignty over areas with abundant food sources. Female hummingbirds arrive a few weeks later than males and establish their territories and nest in them.

How Long Do Anna’s Hummingbirds Nest?

The nesting season for Anna hummingbirds typically lasts five to six months. For populations in warmer regions, the breeding season begins in November or December and usually ends in May. In cooler regions, nesting begins in January or February and may continue until July.

What month do Anna’s hummingbirds lay eggs?

Colonies of Anna hummingbirds that nest in bushes usually lay their eggs around January or February. Breeding pairs further north may spawn after two to three months, depending on winter conditions.

Where do Anna’s hummingbirds nest in winter?

Unlike many other birds, Anna’s hummingbirds breed in winter and spring—perhaps to coincide with bush gooseberry blooms, and it reduces competition with other hummingbirds.

Winter breeding populations of this hummingbird range from southern British Columbia, south of the West Coast to northern Baja and southwestern Arizona.

Anna’s hummingbird gathers nesting material to build a nest

nest

How do Anna’s hummingbirds build their nests?

Anna’s hummingbirds form their nest cups by alternating between soft plant material and cobwebs. Cobwebs help hold the nest together. The cups are formed by the female sitting in the nest and pushing the material with her breasts as she turns.

On average, construction takes about seven days, with most construction taking place between early morning and noon.

What do Anna’s hummingbirds use to build their nests?

The construction of Anna’s hummingbird nest uses a variety of plant materials. Willow, cattails, sycamore leaves, thistles, eucalyptus flowers, and velvet senecio are the most commonly used nesting materials.

Feathers and animal hair are also used for exterior and interior structures. Then, of course, the cobweb and insect cocoon fibers help hold the nest together.

Are male or female Anna hummingbirds nesting?

Female Anna’s hummingbird nesting. Men don’t contribute. In fact, females often build nests before finding a mate.

Closeup of a female Anna Hummingbird nesting

Egg

What did Anna’s hummingbird eggs look like?

Anna’s hummingbird eggs are oval or sub-oval in shape and about the size of a jelly bean. Eggs are 11.82-13.84 mm long and 7.97-9.10 mm wide. The shells are white, matte, and smooth.

How many eggs does Anna’s hummingbird lay?

Two eggs per nest is typical for Anna hummingbirds. In rare cases, a litter of three eggs can occur.

Do male Anna hummingbirds sit on eggs?

Male Anna hummingbirds do not incubate their eggs, only the females do. Incubation usually lasts 16 or 17 days.

Two unhatched anna hummingbird eggs in the nest

fledgling and parental care

When do little Anna’s hummingbirds leave the nest?

Little Anna’s hummingbirds leave the nest 18 to 23 days after hatching. However, there are reports of the chick period being as long as 30 days. The wide variation in dates may be due to environmental factors, such as severe weather.

Chicks also depend on their parents for food for a week or two after leaving the nest.

How many broods does Anna’s hummingbirds have?

Anna’s hummingbirds produce two to three broods each breeding season. In warmer climates, the season usually ends in May. However, in colder climates where hummingbirds typically nest late, the breeding season often lasts until midsummer.

Anna’s hummingbird feeds hungry chicks in nest

common problem

Are Anna’s hummingbirds abandoning their nests?

If Anna’s hummingbirds feel unsafe or their eggs are not fertilized (which they usually can), they may abandon their nests. It is important to never disturb the hummingbird nest so as not to cause the female to abandon her eggs.

Do Anna’s hummingbirds nest on the ground?

You won’t find Anna’s hummingbirds nesting on the ground. They prefer to build their nests on branches at least six feet high.

Where do Anna’s hummingbirds nest at night?

At night, Anna’s hummingbirds sleep on branches at least 8 feet off the ground. The females remain in the nest only during the night when they hatch.

How to Attract Nesting Anna Hummingbirds?

The best way to attract nesting Anna hummingbirds is to provide them with their preferred habitat. Your yard needs trees or shrubs with shaded branches at least 6 feet off the ground and plenty of flowering plants to provide nectar to hummingbirds.