Home > Anna's Hummingbird

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 immatures 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 pollinationPollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). The receptive part of the carpel is called a stigma in the flower. 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 RivoliAnna Massena, Duchess of Rivoli ( 1802 1887) was the wife of Francois Victor Massena, 2nd Duke of Rivoli. Anna was the daughter of General Jean Francois Joseph DeBelle. She married Victor Massena in 1823. She later became Mistress of the Household to Empr.

See similar images and .