Anna’s Hummingbird

  (Calypte anna)

E-bird describes the Anna’s Hummingbird like this:  Relatively large-headed and chunky. Gray and green overall, lacking buffy or orangey tones. Males have shocking magenta head, which appears dark when not catching the light. Females have dingy grayish underparts and often show a dark patch in the center of the throat. Note relatively short, straight bill compared with Black-chinned or Costa’s Hummingbird. Common year-round in the Pacific states of the U.S., mainly in relatively open or scrubby habitats including desert scrub and chaparral. Frequently seen in suburban yards and gardens, often visiting sugar water feeders. Expanding its range northward into British Colombia, even regular in southeast Alaska. Winters to southern Baja and locally elsewhere in Mexico. Listen for male’s scratchy, metallic song, given when perched.  All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information for the Anna’s Hummingbird:  Anna’s Hummingbirds are among the most common hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast, yet they’re anything but common in appearance. With their iridescent emerald feathers and sparkling rose-pink throats, they are more like flying jewelry than birds. Though no larger than a ping-pong ball and no heavier than a nickel, Anna’s Hummingbirds make a strong impression. In their thrilling courtship displays, males climb up to 130 feet into the air and then swoop to the ground with a curious burst of noise that they produce through their tail feathers.

I watched and photographed my first Anna’s Hummingbirds at the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary on the evening of August 6, 2022. They were plentiful that evening and I really enjoyed watching them.  Richard Fray (my first guide at the 2022 Southwest Wings Festival) recommended Ash Canyon, and I am glad he did!

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD AT ASH CANYON, AUGUST 6, 2022.
THE COLORS ON THE ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD ARE BREATHTAKING!
ONE MORE PHOTO OF ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS I WATCHED AT ASH CANYON ON AUGUST 6, 2022.


“Cool Facts” About The Anna’s Hummingbird From All About Birds:

    • 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.
    • Hummingbirds are strictly a New World animal. They fascinated the first Europeans who arrived on the continent. Christopher Columbus wrote about them and many wondered if they were a cross between a bird and an insect (at one point being called “flybirds”). Later, their feathers became fashionable ornaments in Europe (a practice that has thankfully fallen out of favor).
    • What do you call a flock of hummingbirds? Few animals have so many applicable terms, and none so beautiful. Instead of calling them a flock, choose between a bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer, or a tune of hummingbirds.
    • The iridescent throat patch of male hummingbirds is called a gorget. The Anna’s gorget extends over its head, making it more of a balaclava than a bib. Oddly, female Anna’s have a tiny red gorget—females of most species have none.
    • Hummingbirds have tiny legs and can neither hop nor walk, though they can sort of scoot sideways while perched.
    • Anna’s Hummingbirds normally have a body temperature of around 107 degrees Fahrenheit—that’s a scorching temperature for a human. When outside temperatures fall, Anna’s and many other species of hummingbirds enter torpor. Their breathing and heart rate slow, and their body temperature can fall as low as 48 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature warms, the hummingbirds can become active again in a few minutes.
    • The oldest recorded Anna’s Hummingbird was at least 8 years, 2 months old, when it was recaptured and rereleased during a banding operation in Arizona.