If seen well, a combination of the relatively large size (for a hummingbird), overall dark and dingy appearance, and a large, rose-red gorget that extends across the entire crown (giving the bird a “helmeted” look) make male Anna’s Hummingbird easily identified. The full extent of the gorget may not be apparent in some light angles, and may even appear to be restricted to the throat. In such cases, there is potential for confusion with species such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Broad-tailed Hummingbird. The colouration of the gorget (rose-red) helps to differentiate it from Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which has a more ruby-red gorget. As well, Ruby-throated shows clearer, whiter underparts and has blackish ear coverts that form a “mask” through the eyes. Broad-tailed Hummingbird is also cleaner and whiter below, especially across the upper breast, and produces a distinctive buzzy wing trill that is unlike any other hummingbird in North America.
Unlike males, female Anna’s Hummingbirds invite confusion with a wide variety of other female hummingbirds in North America. Species in the genera Selasphorus (Rufous Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird) can be distinguished by their cleaner, whiter underparts and extensive buffy wash across the sides and flanks. Female Calliope Hummingbird also shows bright buff on the sides and flanks and is a noticeably smaller, shorter-tailed species (the tail does not exceed the wingtips when perched). The species that are most similar to female Anna’s Hummingbird are Ruby-throated, Black-chinned, and Costa’s Hummingbirds. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Black-chinned Hummingbird are slightly smaller, more slender, and smaller-headed than female Anna’s Hummingbird, but this requires extensive experience with these species to be useful as an identification mark. In addition, female Anna’s Hummingbird is generally dingier and more heavily mottled below with dusky-grey and metallic green (underparts much cleaner and whiter in female Ruby-throated and Black-chinned, with a variable buffy wash on the sides and flanks). Female Anna’s Hummingbird typically shows a coalesced spot of iridescent rose-red in the centre of the throat, which is lacking in either Ruby-throated or Black-chinned (although immature male Ruby-throated can show some iridescent feathers on the throat [rarely forming a centralized patch] and juvenile Anna’s usually have an unmarked throat). Female Costa’s Hummingbird is noticeably smaller and stockier than female Anna’s Hummingbird (easily discernable in direct comparison) and, like Black-chinned and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, has cleaner and whiter underparts that lack the extensive dingy and metallic-green mottling of female Anna’s Hummingbird.
| The male’s song, which is given both in flight and from a perch, is a prolonged series of harsh, scratchy, buzzy notes, usually broken into phrases of similar notes and often with a pulsating tempo. The song is given year-round. The most commonly heard calls by both sexes include an emphatic, fairly hard tik or tih and a more smacking tsik; double-noted ti-tik or tsi-sik calls are also given. During flight chases, gives a rapid, buzzy, twittering t-chissi-chissi-chissi, often with qualities that are reminiscent of the male’s song. In aggressive encounters and during courtship displays, the male gives a low, buzzy, clipped bzzzt or brrrt. Source: Russell (1996); Howell (2002) |
Courtship
This is one of the earliest-nesting birds in B.C., and courtship often begins as early as January. The display ritual of the male Anna’s Hummingbird includes high-intensity song, chase, a “Shuttle Display,” and an elaborate “Dive Display.” When singing, the male generally chooses an exposed, elevated perch and, during courtship, produces a high-intensity, often prolonged version of the normal song. Once a female has entered the male’s territory, he initiates a “Dive Display.” This display is also used throughout the year to deter invaders into the territory, but during courtship it is used as an initiation to the courtship ritual. During this display, the male begins by singing several phrases of song while hovering 2-4 m above the female. With a wavering flight, he then climbs to 20-40 m in height and subsequently proceeds to rapidly plummet in a near-vertical dive towards the female. This dive ends 0.5-1 m above the female with an abrupt reversal and an accompanying loud, piercing spik or peek sound that is produced by air moving through the momentarily-spread tail feathers. The male then chases the female around the territory as she leads him towards her chosen nesting site. Once the female has perched near the nest site, the male then begins a “Shuttle Display” in which he flies back and forth in a short arc above the head of the female, holding his body in near-horizontal position but with his bill pointed downwards towards the female. He produces a series of bzzzt notes during this display, and often begins or ends it with several bouts of high-intensity singing.
Nest
Nest construction coincides with courtship period and is similarly early, often beginning in mid-winter. Only the female builds the nest and attends to the eggs and young, as the male abandons the female after copulation. The construction process takes approximately 7 days, but early-nesting individuals may take as long as a month to construct their first nest and late nests may be completed in as little as two days. The nest is a small cup (4.0-4.5 cm across, with an inner diameter of ~2.5 cm) and is situated on a horizontal (rarely nearly vertical) branch 0.5-10 (rarely to 20) m above the ground. It is placed in a variety of trees (including conifers), shrubs, and vines. Occasional nests are placed on artificial structures such as powerlines. The nest is composed of downy plant material (fluff or down of cattail, cottonwood, willow, dandelion, thistle, etc.) and is held together with spider webs, insect cocoon fibres, fibrous plant material, feathers, and rodent hairs. The outside is camouflaged with lichen, strips of bark, dead leaves, and mosses.
Eggs
Clutches of (1) 2 (3) smooth, non-glossy, white eggs are laid within several days of completion of the nest (occasionally before nest is completed), with most eggs in B.C. appearing between mid-February and April (sometimes as early as January). Clutches of eggs, presumably representing second or replacement clutches, have been observed in B.C. as late as early July. Incubation is done solely by the female. The incubation period is 14-19 days, and most eggs in B.C. hatch between March and May (some hatching as late as June or early July). This species can produce two (perhaps sometimes three) clutches of eggs in a season, and has been known to start construction on a second nest while still tending to the young from the previous clutch.
Young
Following hatching, the young are tended by the female for 18-26 days before fledging. and an additional 1-2 weeks following fledging. Nestlings are altricial and nearly naked when young. The skin is black and there is a patch of smoky-grey down along the back; the bill is short and the mouth is yellowish. Nestlings in B.C. are present between mid-March (perhaps earlier) and mid-August, and fledged young may be observed into late August.
Source: Campbell et al. (1990b); Russell (1996); Baicich and Harrison (1997)
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The Anna’s Hummingbird feeds on both nectar and insects, and is commonly attracted to feeders. A wide variety of both native and exotic or ornamental flowers are chosen as sources of nectar, including currants, manzanita, fuchsia, sage, and columbine. It aggressively defends patches of flowers as well as feeders from other hummingbirds, including conspecifics. Most insect prey is captured in the air, often through “hawking” behaviour in which the bird momentarily leaves a perch to capture the insect, then returns to the same or a different perch. It also gleans insects from vegetation and inspects spider webs for both insect and spider prey. This species often collects insects that are attracted to sap wells or pools of water, and will itself consume the sap that oozes from the wells. Insect prey is especially important in the diet during the winter, when there are usually very few flowering shrubs available as sources of nectar. When feeding, this species typically holds the tail still and close to the body plane unless probing up into hanging flowers, at which time the tail is held down and nearly vertically.
Source: Russell (1996); Williamson (2001); Howell (2002)
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