Costa's Hummingbird

Costa's Hummingbird, adult male; Imperial Co., CA; July

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Costa's Hummingbird, adult female, at the nest (in Cholla cactus); Imperial Co., CA; April

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

A desert hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird breeds in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of California and Arizona. It departs the desert in the hottest days of summer, moving to chaparral, scrub, or woodland habitat.

Description

Small hummingbird. Green upperparts. Male has iridescent violet crown and gorget (throat patch). Gorget extends out sides of throat. Female has white throat and underparts, sometimes with some violet feathers.

• Size: 9 cm (4 in)
• Wingspan: 11 cm (4 in)
• Weight: 2-3 g (0.07-0.11 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male has violet crown and throat; female has green crown and white throat.

Sound

Male gives a high, thin whistle from perches and during display flights.

Conservation Status

Loss of habitat, especially coastal scrub and Sonoran desert scrub, pose the most serious threat to the species. Availability of feeders may have a compensating effect, to an undetermined degree.

Other Names

Colibri de Costa (French)
Colibrí de Costa (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Researchers have found that Costa's Hummingbird can enter a torpid state, with slowed heart rates and reduced body temperatures, under low ambient nighttime temperatures. The hearts of torpid Costa's Hummingbirds beat about 50 times per minute, while those of nontorpid resting Costa's Hummingbirds beat 500 to 900 times per minute.

Sources used to construct this page:

Baltosser, W. H., and P. E. Scott. 1996. Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae). In The Birds of North America, No. 251 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.