Thursday, July 14, 2016

Anna's hummingbird



Anna's hummingbird is one of the glorious little hummingbirds commonly found along the west coast of North America. The adult male has a distinctive rosy coloured gorge and crown. The females are plainer, a bronze-green.

According to Audubon the species has expanded its range in recent years, probably helped along by flowers and feeders in suburban gardens; it nests as far north as British Columbia and as far east as Arizona.

These photos of Anna's hummingbird, taken in the Russian River valley of California by Peter Wiese, are published here with permission.







Anna's is more vocal than most hummingbirds and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have discovered that the beeps, chirps and whistles made by some hummingbirds are made by the birds' tail feathers.

A New Scientist video shows the hummingbird using its tail, somewhat like a wind instrument, to create a loud chirping sound.

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