Hobbies And Interests
Allen's
The male Allen's hummingbird has a bronze-green head and back, iridescent copper-colored throat and flanks of a reddish-brown color similar to rust. Males are smaller than the females. The female Allen's has reddish-brown colored sides and back, a white breast and throat with some red spots and a rounded tail with white tips. It is difficult to distinguish a female Allen's hummingbird from a female Rufous.
Anna's
The male Anna's hummingbird has a green-metallic back, dark rose-colored head and throat and a grayish-green breast. The female has a gray-white breast, green back, a red-spotted white throat and white-tipped tail feathers. Both male and female birds are roughly the same size.
Black-chinned
The black-chinned male exhibits a metallic-green back, breast and top of the head and a black throat with a purple band and a white collar. The larger female has a green back and crown, a white breast and throat with black spotting and white-tipped tail feathers.
Blue-throated
This is one of the larger species of hummingbirds. The male has a bright blue throat, a green back and crown with thin white stripes above and below the eyes, a dark gray breast and a dark blue tail with white tips. The female has the same white stripes above and below the eyes, a green back and crown, a lighter gray breast and a white-tipped tail.
Broad-billed
The larger of the sexes, the male broad-billed hummingbird displays a black-tipped, bright red-orange bill, a dark green crown, breast and back, with a throat of bright metallic blue. The female has a light green crown and back, a plain gray breast and throat, a white- tipped dark tail and a light red-orange beak.
Broad-tailed
Male broad-tailed hummingbirds make a cricket-like whistle when flying. They have metallic green backs and crowns, rose-colored throats, white breasts and rounded tails. The larger of the sexes, females have green crowns and backs, white breasts and throats with black spots and rust-colored sides. Their multicolored tails have green central feathers and outer feathers with a rusty base, black middle and white tips.
Buff-bellied
Males are larger than females, with metallic green heads with a white ring around the eyes, green throats and backs and rust-colored bellies, sides and tails. The female buff-bellied hummingbird is almost identical to the male, although smaller.
Calliope
Calliope hummingbirds prefer to live at high elevations and have been found at heights of 11,000 feet. Males have green heads and backs with white throats; purple stripes run from their bills to their chests. Females lack the purple stripes but have the same green heads and backs. The female Calliope's throat is whitish-tan with dark streaks; it has buff; pale yellow-brown sides and a tail with white-tipped corners.
Rufous
The males have reddish-brown, or rufous, crowns, tails and sides; their backs may be rufous, green or a mix. They have bright orange-red throats and white breasts. Green-backed rufous look so similar to Allen's that they are difficult to distinguish without a good view of the spread tail feathers. Females have green backs and crowns, streaked throats, white breasts and rufous sides and base tail feathers; the outer tail feathers have white tips. Female rufous hummingbirds look similar to female broad-tailed and Allen's.