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Anna’s hummingbirds are native to the west coast of North America and can now be found in northern Mexico, California, Oregon and Washington states, and British Columbia. In these areas, this little beauty can often be found in backyards, feeding on flowering plants and nectar feeders. Anna hummingbirds are unique for their bright red plumage, which glistens in sunlight, but do both sexes share this trait? We’ll discuss how to identify male and female Anna hummingbirds at a glance, and the behavioral traits that set them apart.
Comparing Male Anna’s Hummingbirds and Female Anna’s Hummingbirds
male anna hummingbird | female anna hummingbird | |
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size | 3.9 – 4.3 in length, 4.7 – 5.25 in wingspan, 0.1 to 0.2 oz in weight, longer tail, slightly heavier on average than females. | Average length 3.9 – 4.3, wingspan 4.7 – 5.25, weight 0.1 to 0.2 ounces, beak and wingspan slightly longer than males. |
morphology | Prominent iridescent reddish crown and throat feathers. | Green back feathers, gray underside. A small garter of red feathers. |
Behavior | Defend territory and feeding grounds. Perform aerial display dives of defense and courtship. | Defend feeding grounds before nesting. Build your own den and raise your young. |
vocalize | Sing well-crafted learned songs lasting 10 seconds. | Make tzip or ‘chip’ calls, also twittering or chattering calls |
Key Differences Between Male and Female Anna Hummingbirds
Male Anna hummingbirds are easily distinguished from females by their distinctive iridescent red crown and throat guard. Females have a much smaller red larynx, a softer color, less vocalization, and less display activity, so they are less conspicuous. If you spot a nest, you can be sure it’s a female Anna hummingbird, since they’re the ones raising the young.
These differences are explained in detail below.
Male vs. Female Anna’s Hummingbirds: Size
Female and male Anna hummingbirds are similar in size. On average, females have slightly longer beaks and wings on average. Males tend to have longer tails and are a little heavier than females. The differences are small, so they are not helpful for spot recognition. Other characteristics differentiate males and females more than their size.
Male vs. Female Anna’s Hummingbirds: Morphology
Male Anna hummingbirds have shimmering rose-pink crowns and throats in intense iridescence. Iridescence depends on the angle from which the female or male competitor views the male. The color of the head and throat of male Anna hummingbirds changes with the angle of light, which provides an advantage for courtship and territorial defense.
Female Anna’s hummingbirds look similar, but less conspicuous than male hummingbirds. They have metallic green feathers on their backs, down to their nape and crown. Their undersides are light gray. While they don’t have the colorful throat and head feathers of males, female Annas usually have a small red neck guard. This colorful throat feather changes color depending on the angle of the light. Females of most hummingbird species do not have this feature.
Male vs. Female Anna’s Hummingbirds: Behavior
Males are ready to defend their territories and food sources. During the breeding season, males make impressive aerial courtship dives. When a female flies into the male’s territory, he swoops over the female in a J-shaped pattern.
He will first hover 6 to 13 in front of the woman he is performing for. He then ascended to 131 feet before falling at near vertical speed. The display ends with an explosive squeaking sound from the tail feathers. Then he’ll draw an arc back to the starting point. The dive is oriented such that the sun is reflected from the iridescent crown and throat directly to the intended recipient of the display.
Females are generally less territorial than males, but they will aggressively defend their nesting territories. Some also protect foraging areas, such as flowering plants or hummingbird feeders, but usually only before nesting. Females fly into male territory in hopes of eliciting a display response from a potential mate.
After successful mating, female Anna hummingbirds raise their chicks without the help of males. They build a small, round, cup-shaped nest of plant fibers, feathers, and animal hair, covered with lichen and other plant material, and held together by spider silk. She incubates hummingbird eggs at her carefully chosen nesting site, then hatches and feeds the chicks herself.
Male vs. Female Anna’s Hummingbirds: Vocalization
Male Anna hummingbirds sing a thin, squeaky song with intermittent buzzing and chirping during courtship. The courtship song lasts up to 10 seconds. These long, learned songs are excellent in male Anna hummingbirds.
Females don’t sing complex songs like males, but they do make other sounds. They make tzip or “chip” calls, which sometimes extend into twittering or chattering calls. These calls are often heard when the bird is agitated in some way.
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.