Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna

We may not have a great variety of hummingbirds, but we do have an abundance of Anna's Hummingbirds, a species that has flourished and extended its range as homeowners install feeders and plant ornamental flowers.

Anna's are present year round in our Mediterranean climate, although some probably still migrate. The males are territorial and love to sit on an open perch to display their gorget, probably more to warn other males than to impress a female, who accepts him for mating only if he impresses with her with an aerial  diving display. Here he is sitting and giving me a look-over. The rose iridescence varies with the angle of the light, and often is seen on the crown as well. Note the pollen on the bill tip.

Here's one with the crown lit up:

A shot from April 2008 at Mt. Burdell shows how the color can vary, in this case a pretty violet:

I watched this Albany male for about 5 minutes as he sallied out to catch small insects, returning to his favorite open perches. As he lands the tail is spread and the wings fold, slow enough for the camera to capture some detail in the 10 primaries (outer flight feathers), 6 secondaries (inner wing), and 10 rectricies (tail feathers).

Another shot of the same bird landing on a different perch. Note that the tail feathers of the male are pretty much all shades of gray, whereas a female wold show white tips on the outer rectricies.

Now time to go out and try for an Allen's hummer!