Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Summary 4
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a medium-sized hummingbird native to the west coast of North America. Anna’s Hummingbirds are mostly green and gray. The male's head and throat are covered in iridescent reddish-pink feathers that can look dull brown or gray without direct sunlight. Females lack the pink/red feathers covering the head but do have a small spot of pink/red feathers on the throat. Anna's Hummingbirds are the only common and resident hummingbirds on campus, though we may also have other migrants occasionally pass through.
To hear an example of sounds made by Anna's Hummingbirds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/sounds
Where on Campus 5
California Native Garden, central campus and during flowering, around the various Eucalyptus trees around campus.
Habitat 5
Anna’s Hummingbirds are very common in a wide variety of habitats including chaparral, coastal scrub, oak savannahs, and open woodland. They are well-adapted to human modified environments and can be found in city parks and backyards. These are the most common hummingbirds at nectar feeders in our area.
Life History 5
Nesting Nesting may begin in December. Males engage in a notable courtship display, which includes hovering in mid-air giving a buzzy song, then flying much higher before diving steeply and rapidly toward the female, making a loud explosive popping sound (it sounds like a chirp) at the bottom of his dive.
The female builds the nest out of plant down and spider webs, sitting in the nest and building the cup rim up around her. They may be built of cattail, willow, leaves, thistle, or small feathers and bound together by spider webs or insect cocoons. They may decorate the outside with lichens, mosses, or even paint chips. They sometimes steal these from other active nests. Anna's Hummingbirds may brood up to 3 times/year)
Feeding Anna's Hummingbirds feed on nectar from a wide variety of flowers, both native and non-native as well as small insects such as leaf hoppers and small flies.
Distribution 5
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a year-round resident along the Pacific coast of North America, breeding north to British Columbia and east to Arizona.
Migration 5
Resident
Sources and Credits
- (c) Steve Berardi, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3190/3104859511_9d2434deb8_o.jpg
- (c) Eugene Zelenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3208582414_d8e64eba56.jpg
- (c) Michael Rosenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/3702368178_790574b300.jpg
- Adapted by gillian360 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypte_anna
- (c) gillian360, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
