Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird, adult male

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Anna's Hummingbird, adult female

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A common bird of urban areas of the far West, the Anna's Hummingbird makes itself conspicuous by its behavior as well as its choice of habitat. The male sings frequently from exposed perches, and makes elaborate dive displays at other hummingbirds and sometimes at people.

Description

• Medium-sized stocky hummingbird.
• Tiny compared with other kinds of birds.
• Back iridescent bronzy green, grayish below.
• Male has rose red throat and forehead.

• Size: 10 cm (4 in)
• Wingspan: 12 cm (5 in)
• Weight: 3-6 g (0.11-0.21 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male with red throat and forehead, female with white throat and green forehead. Female with white tips on tail feathers. Male slightly larger.

Sound

Song a buzzy, scratchy series of squeaking phrases. Also makes chip notes and a twitter.

Conservation Status

Range expanding and numbers increasing.

Other Names

Colibri d'Anna (French)
Colibrí coronirrojo (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• In the first half of the 20th century, the Anna's Hummingbird bred only in northern Baja California and southern California. The planting of exotic flowering trees provided nectar and nesting sites, and allowed the hummingbird to greatly expand its breeding range.

• The dive display of the Anna's Hummingbird lasts about 12 seconds, and the male may fly to a height of 40 m (131 feet) during the display. He starts by hovering two to four meters (6-13 feet) in front of the display object (hummingbird or person), and then climbs in a wavering fashion straight up. He plummets in a near-vertical dive from the top of the climb and ends with an explosive squeak within half a meter of the display object. He then makes a circular arc back to the point where he began. On sunny days the dives are oriented so that the sun is reflected from the iridescent throat and crown directly at the object of the dive.

• On rare occasions, bees and wasps may become impaled on the bill of an Anna's Hummingbird, causing the bird to starve to death.

Sources used to construct this page:

Russell, S. M. 1996. Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna). In The Birds of North America, No. 226 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornthologists' Union, Washington, D.C.