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The Anna's hummingbird (
Calypte anna ) is the most
common hummingbird in this area. They
readily come to feeders, and accept human presence. They also
quickly learn who fills the feeder, and they let know if I let it go
empty.
The males defend feeding territories from other males, including Allen's hummingbird. Any
time I'm in the yard the resident male comes to check out what I'm
doing.
This hovering male shows the
bright red color flashing
from the crown,
as well as the throat.
This hovering female shows
the green back (of both male and female) and
the lighter head.
Sometimes
hummingbirds will sit while eating, frequently for a long
time. Here you can see the dark throat patch of the female.
It also flashes red.
Other
times the birds hover
while feeding, moving back between drinks. They also tend to
sample each of the "flowers".
The resident male frequently sits here by the hour
guarding the feeder.
A fledgling male assumes the
nestlings begging posture after taking a
drink. It's fun to watch the parents teaching their offspring how
to use the feeder. When one young male refused to move from
the branch where he was perched to the feeder, the frustrated father
flew down, and came up under the young one, beak first.
[Taxonomy
: Classification]
[Birds] [ Back Yard Biology]
[ Science
Can Be Fun]