The Anna's Hummingbird

Today I will spotlight this tiny bird.

The Anna’s Humminbird is the only hummingbird I have seen in my area, and I found out some cool facts about this bird that weighs about the same as a nickle.

In the 20th century, this bird was found only in Northern Baja California and Southern California, since then they have made their way up to Canada.

Hummingbirds are a New World bird. Christopher Columbus even wrote about them and thought that they were a cross between an insect and bird. They called them “Flybirds”. Later the feathers were used in ornaments in Europe, a practice that has fallen out of style.

For more birds that are found in my neck of the woods look here!

The Red Tail Hawk https://virily.com/animals/red-tail-hawk/

The Great Blue Heron https://virily.com/science-nature/great-blue-heron/

Great Egret https://virily.com/science-nature/great-egret/

My posts have gone to the BIRDS https://virily.com/animals/posts-gone-birds/

Hope you enjoyed the Anna’s Hummingbird, thanks for dropping by!

#1 Anna’s Hummingbird

The iridescent red throat patch of male is called a gorget. The females have a tiny red gorget, while the males gorget extends over the head. They have to be in the right light to be able to see them, as you notice in this picture no red is visible as it is in the shade of a tree.

in a tree outside my door, I heard his tiny peeps. Took me a while to locate where the sound was coming from.

What do you call a flock of hummingbirds? They are not called a flock, instead are called any of these.

Bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer or a tune!

In the sun. Now you can see its pretty throat.

Native Americans loved hummingbirds. Many of the ancient legends said they brought rain to quench eruptions and poking holes in the night sky that became stars. The Navajo say that the mating dive is a way for them to look at what is above the blue sky.

The male reaches heights up to 131 feet or 40 meters. He starts by hovering over the female at about 6-13 feet, (2-4 m) then climbs straight up and dives and ends with a squeak a few feet away from the female.

This guy was waiting for the cat to leave so he could enjoy the flowers in my yard.

And he notices me..

These hummingbirds have a body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperatures fall their breathing and heart rate slow and their body temperatures can fall to 48 degrees Fahrenheit. As the temperature outside rises it only takes a few minutes for their body temperatures to raise and they become active again.

I have never seen a hummingbird's nest in the wild, but the female picks out the nesting place, usually about 6-20 feet off the ground near the a good source of nectar. They often build nests in Eucalyptus Trees, oaks, even vines, shrubs, cactus and poison oak.

In this light, which was high noon, they look brown and grey, but are green, red and grey.

In a survey done in 2014 by the North American Breeding Bird Survey the population of Anna's Hummingbirds increased 2% each year from 1966 to 2014.

Partners in Flight estimates the populations is around 5 million, with 96% in the United States, 13% spending part of the year in Canada, and 15% in Mexico.

We helped them make it to Vancouver, Canada which are seen in healthy numbers by putting up backyard feeders, and planting trees like the Eucalyptus and flowers in yards.