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. This bird was named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli.
Description 5
Anna's hummingbird is 3.9 to 4.3 in (9.9 to 10.9 cm) long. It has an iridescent bronze-green back, a pale grey chest and belly, and green flanks. Its bill is long, straight and slender. The adult male has an iridescent crimson-red derived from magenta to a reddish-pink crown and gorget, which can look dull brown or gray without direct sunlight and a dark, slightly forked tail. Female Anna's hummingbirds also have iridescent red gorgets, though they are usually smaller and less brilliant than the males'. Anna's is the only North American hummingbird species with a red crown. Females and juvenile males have a dull green crown, a grey throat with or without some red iridescence, a grey chest and belly, and a dark, rounded tail with white tips on the outer feathers.
These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue. They also consume small insects and other arthropods caught in flight or gleaned from vegetation. A PBS documentary shows how Anna's hummingbirds eat flying insects. They aim for the flying insect, then open their beaks to capture the prey.
While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination. This species sometimes consumes tree sap. The male's call is scratchy metallic, and it perches above head-level in trees and shrubs. They are frequently seen in backyards and parks, and commonly found at feeders and flowering plants.
Anna's hummingbirds can shake their bodies 55 times per second to shed rain while in flight. When done in dry weather, shaking may remove pollen or dirt from feathers.
Habitat 6
Calypte anna have made their home in open woods, shrubs, gardens, and parks. During breeding season they are restricted to California and a habitat separation is established between males and females. During this time males typically move to more open habitats including canyon sides and hill slopes. Females, on the other hand, live in trees, including evergreens and oaks. Anna's Hummingbirds also experience different habitats with the changing seasons. During the summer months they move to higher elevations, and in winter they move to lower altitudes.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural
Sources and Credits
- (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
- (c) TJ Gehling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjgehling/8705259855/
- (c) matt knoth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattknoth/3195261343/
- Adapted by kmarie333 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypte_anna
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna's_hummingbird
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31382670
