WhenToBird

Archilochus alexandri · Trochilidae

When Do Black-chinned Hummingbirds Arrive in California?

Adult male Black-chinned Hummingbird
Photo: Elliott Gordon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-chinned Hummingbirds reach California in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 4.2% of California checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.9% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.3% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.9% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.8% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.4% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.1% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.0% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.0% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.8% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.0% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 124993 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in California that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kings CountyBest the second week of September · 71 checklists that week, 3,688 in all31%
  2. Sacramento CountyBest mid August · 1694 checklists that week, 121,767 in all27%
  3. San Joaquin CountyBest the second week of August · 434 checklists that week, 33,237 in all23%
  4. Stanislaus CountyBest mid August · 462 checklists that week, 30,240 in all21%
  5. Yolo CountyBest mid August · 962 checklists that week, 67,424 in all17%
  6. Inyo CountyBest the second week of May · 995 checklists that week, 35,713 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. FernbrookSan Diego County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 964 in all84%
  2. Carpinteria CreekSanta Barbara County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 900 in all78%
  3. Rosicrucian ParkSanta Clara County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 292 in all76%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In California, the Black-chinned Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 4.6% of 186053 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April1.3%2.7%3.9%4.3%
May4.4%3.9%3.8%3.7%
June3.4%3.1%3.0%3.0%
July3.3%3.2%3.2%3.3%
August3.7%3.8%3.8%4.0%
September3.3%2.8%1.7%0.7%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than California
  • Utah: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than California
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of March, 3 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives early May, 4 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Black-chinned Hummingbirds arrive in California?
Black-chinned Hummingbirds reach California in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Black-chinned Hummingbirds leave California?
Most Black-chinned Hummingbirds have left California by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Black-chinned Hummingbird in California?
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is reported most often in early May, on about 4.2% of California checklists.
Where in California are Black-chinned Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, Kings County, Sacramento County, and San Joaquin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-chinned Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).