Female Anna’s Hummingbirds (Identification Guide: Male vs Female)

Anna’s Hummingbird (geranium) is a beautiful, busy little bird of the West Coast of the United States. They stretched from northern Mexico through California, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia in modern times. This is a common backyard bird that loves to visit nectar feeders and flowering ornamental plants.

Female Anna hummingbirds look similar to the males but lack the extensive iridescent neck guard and head feathers of the males. They have metallic green feathers on their backs that extend to the nape of the neck and crown of the head. Their underparts are light gray in color overall, but have some reddish feathers just below the throat.

In addition to physical differences, female Anna hummingbirds also display some behavioral differences compared to males:

• Females do not sing and are far less aggressive and attention-getting than males
• The female is also responsible for nest building, hatching and raising the chicks

Read on to learn everything you need to know about the female Anna hummingbird, a small but energetic bird native to the American West.

Female Anna Hummingbird feeding

How do you know if Anna’s hummingbird is male or female?

The best way to tell the difference between a female Anna hummingbird and an adult male is to look at the head and neck. Males have a broad pink/purple larynx (throat area) that extends over the top of the head and sides of the face.

Depending on the light, these feathers may take on any color from pink to bronze or even black.

Female Anna hummingbirds have a metallic green back very similar to the males, but the face and head are less developed with a larynx and coloration. They will have some purple feathers on their throats, but nothing like an adult male.

However, it can be difficult to distinguish female Anna hummingbirds from immature males. Both have a metallic green upper body, a gray lower body, and a similar color down the throat.

Read on to learn more about identifying female Anna hummingbirds.

female anna hummingbird

male anna hummingbird

What do female Anna hummingbirds look like?

The female Anna hummingbird is known to be a tiny creature, though not particularly small like a hummingbird. She is a rather stocky bird with an iridescent metallic green back and gray belly, breast and face. Female Anna hummingbirds also have some purple markings under their throats.

Her thin mouth was black and straight, about as long as her head. This is great for getting nectar from flowers. Like other hummingbirds, she has short legs and black feet.

Close up of a female Anna’s Hummingbird

Distinguishing Female Anna Hummingbirds from Their Species

The Anna’s hummingbird shares its range with some similar hummingbird species. Males are very different from each other, but identifying females presents an added challenge for birders!

The species you are most likely to encounter in the same area is the black-jawed hummingbird (alexandrine ape), organ hummingbird (scallop), and Costa’s hummingbird (Rib Erigeron).

Here are the most important differences to be aware of:

• Female black-jawed hummingbirds are lighter in size and have thinner necks. Her bill looks longer than her head.
• Female calliope hummingbirds are very similar in color but much smaller.
• Female Costa hummingbirds have much whiter underparts.

female black-jawed hummingbird

female organ hummingbird

What is the female Anna hummingbird’s name?

Female hummingbirds don’t seem to have any specific names, but the term “hen” is used to describe the females of nearly all birds.

Are female Anna’s hummingbirds larger than males?

Female Anna hummingbirds are similar in size to the males. On average, females have slightly longer beaks and wings. However, males have slightly longer tails and are heavier than females. Unfortunately, these features are not very useful for spot recognition.

Anna’s Hummingbird Size:

• Length: 4 inches (10 cm)
• Wingspan: 5 inches (13cm)
• Bill Length (Culmen): 0.65-0.7 inches (16.7-17.6 mm)
• Mass: 0.1-0.2 oz (3-6 g)

Read on to learn more about the differences in behavior between female and male Anna hummingbirds.

female anna hummingbird in flight

behavioral difference

Female Anna hummingbirds can be distinguished from male hummingbirds by observing their behavior. They are generally far less noticeable than males, more subdued in color, less vocal, and less aggressive and display active.

The male Anna’s hummingbird flies more than 100 feet (35 meters) into the air, then swoops down on the (hopefully) impressive female in a remarkable performance. To trigger this display and find potential mates, females will enter the male’s breeding grounds.

Males will defend breeding grounds and food sources, while females are more keen to defend nesting grounds. Flowering plants or backyard hummingbird feeders are good examples of feeding areas. Some females also defend feeding areas, but usually only before nesting.

sing and call

Male Anna hummingbirds are known for their learned songs, but females cannot sing.

Females do produce a simple Compressed file Note, however, and various other calls.this Compressed file or ‘chip‘ The call can be extended into a twittering call, and can also generate a longer chattering call.

These calls are most often heard during an attack or when the bird is otherwise agitated.

Close up of a female Anna Hummingbird in flight

nesting and feeding

Unlike other hummingbirds in its range, Anna’s hummingbirds typically nest in winter. However, timing is variable and nests were not observed until June. By nesting in winter, these birds are able to avoid competing with other hummingbirds for nesting and foraging resources.

Female Anna hummingbirds choose their nesting sites and build their nests on their own. The nest is a neat little cup made of plant material, feathers, hair, and cobwebs. She will build the den on a horizontal structure 6.5 to 19.5 feet (2-6 meters) above the ground.

Twigs and twigs are the most common nesting sites, but these birds have also been known to nest on man-made structures like furniture and even telephone wires. Once nested, she will lay two small white eggs averaging only 12.7mm x 8.5mm.

The eggs hatch after 16 or 17 days, and the female feeds the hatchlings on a diet of nectar and insects until they leave the nest. Anna’s hummingbird chicks can fled their feathers as early as 18 days after hatching, but cold weather can slow development by as long as 30 days, according to reports.

Mother Anna’s Hummingbird sitting on the nest

Can female Anna hummingbirds raise offspring alone?

Female Anna hummingbirds can raise their young without the help of males. She is a great mother and it is all up to her to choose the nest site, build the nest, incubate the eggs, hatch and feed the chicks.

What color are female Anna hummingbirds?

Female Anna hummingbirds aren’t as colorful as the drones, but they’re still very attractive little birds. They are metallic green above and light gray below. Their eyes, feet and beaks are black. They also have some reddish under the throat, although far less so than males.

Female Anna’s Hummingbird nesting

Do female Anna hummingbirds sing?

Female anna hummingbirds do not produce the complex songs of male hummingbirds. However, they make chatter, twitter, and monotonous “chip” calls.

Do female Anna hummingbirds have red throats?

Female Anna hummingbirds lack the colorful neck guard and head feathers of males. However, they do have some colorful feathers on their throats. The color of these feathers varies depending on the angle of the light, but is usually purple or red.