Anna's Hummingbird Photos

Calypte anna

Anna's Hummingbird - Adult Male
Seattle, Washington

Anna's Hummingbird appears throughout the year in western Washington. These photos where taken on a snowy afternoon, in Seattle, following Thanksgiving Day. I observed this male hummingbird feed every five to ten minutes from a hummingbird feeder -- over a three hour period. In between feeding sessions, it perched on a branch of a rhododendron tree while the snow was falling. This energetic hummingbird was observed feeding up until sunset. In Seattle, November 2006 was a record month for rainfall, but wrens, robins, and hummingbirds were observed feeding in the backyard despite the wet weather. In one of the photos, you can see water spraying off the feathers as the hummingbird hovered next to the feeder. The shiny white spots on the head of the bird are water droplets from the rain. Anna's Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers and feeders, as well as small insects and spiders that they catch in the air or glean from tree trunks and branches. They also visit sapsucker holes and feed on sap and insects attracted to the holes. (Seattle Audubon Society) The top six photos are all from the same male Anna's Hummingbird. Notice that the coloration looks different on this male depending on how the light reflects off of the iridescent feathers covering the head and throat. The shiny feathers on a hummingbird's throat is called their gorget. The gorget on a male Anna's Hummingbird is a beautiful bright metalic rose color. The female only has a small patch of gray feathers on the throat.

Hummingbird Gallery 2 >>

Anna's Hummingbird facts
from the BirdWeb

Anna's Hummingbird Illustration
from Whatbird.com

Copyright © 1996 Tim Knight