Anna's Hummingbird
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| Anna's Hummingbird | ||||||||||||||
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| Calypte anna (Lesson,, 1829) |
The Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, is a medium-sized hummingbird.
These birds are glossy green on the back and grey below with green flanks. Their bill is long, straight and slender. The adult male has a glossy red crown and throat and a dark tail. Females and juveniles have a green crown, a grey throat with some red marking and a dark tail with white tips.
Their breeding habitat is open wooded or shrubby areas and mountain meadows along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Arizona. The female builds a large cup nest in a shrub or tree, sometimes in vines or on wires.
These birds are permanent residents in parts of their range. Some birds may wander north to southern Alaska, south to Mexico or move east from California after nesting season.
These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue or catch insects on the wing. While collecting nectar, they also assist in plant pollination. They sometimes eat tree sap.
Unlike most hummingbirds, this bird sings during courtship. They are very territorial.
This bird was named after Anna Massena, Duchess of Rivoli.
External links
- http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/photogallery - photographs of this and other hummingbird species