4 Most Common Hummingbird Species |
Posted: June 2, 2021 |
It's thought that about 42 million years ago, hummingbirds split from their sister group, the "Swifts, and "Treeswift". Their name comes from the humming sound produced by their beating wings, which can flap with the rate of 12 beats per second in some large species and 80 beats per second in some small species. Male birds are known for attracting female birds with their feeble song. In some hummingbird species, the male birds are also known for performing the complex aerial display. Their small beautiful cup-shaped nest is very attractive for humans. Hummingbirds are also known for going into torpor or hibernation state to conserve energy. You can also visit Birdfeederist.com to know more about hummingbirds. 4 Most Common Hummingbird Species 1. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds These hummingbirds are mostly resembling the Ruby-throated hummingbirds, but don't worry, as their ranges don't overlap. You can easily tell apart these species depending upon their locations as the Ruby-throated only lives in the eastern parts of the United States. The male broad-tailed hummingbirds have white breasts, buffy flanks, and green covering on their head, back, and tail. While the females are larger than the males. You can distinguish them from the males due to their lightly speckled throat, white upper breast, and brownish belly. Their head and back are green. These are known as the birds of mountain meadows and open woodlands. They usually fly at the elevations of 5000 to 10,500 feet. Broad-tailed hummingbirds come to the United States in early May and leave in early August. The make hummingbirds put on impressive aerial displays to attract the females. Broad-tailed male hummingbird mate with many individuals during the breeding season. 6. Anna's Hummingbirds Anna's Hummingbirds are mostly like Costa's hummingbirds with purple throats and slightly down-curved bills. The male Ann's hummingbirds are known for their beautiful iridescent pinkish-red heads. Their underparts are a mix between gray and green, while the tail and back are dark green. The females are usually duller than the males with green caps and bodies. They or known for a patch of metallic purple, and some birds also have red on their throat. Anna's hummingbirds are one of the smallest in the hummingbird species that are no larger than a ping pong ball and weigh only as a nickel. They don't migrate too much like the other species of hummingbirds. You can easily locate them throughout the year in southern British Columbia to northern Mexico. They love to live in a variety of habitats, including deserts, mountains, woodlands, gardens, and chaparral. 7. Costa's Hummingbirds Costa's hummingbirds are unique as compared to the other hummingbird species and have a limited range in the United States. These are easily be differentiating due to their large and iridescent purple gorget. It's covered their head and flaring along the sides of their neck. On the other hand, the females have white throats and underparts, with greenback and head. Both sexes are compact with white tips on the green tail feathers. Male Costa's hummingbirds perform series of dives and loops in front of the females to impress them. You can find them in various habitats, including the desert, scrub, chaparral, sage scrub, and in forests during the winter season in Mexico. 8. Allen's Hummingbirds Allen's hummingbirds are most like the Rufous hummingbirds with slightly less green on their crown and back. They are known for their narrower outer tail feathers and decurved bill. Allen's hummingbirds are also known due to their small, compact, and stocky size with copper-colored sides, belly, rump, and tail. Sometimes it's difficult to differentiate the males and females due to their straight, black bill, white breast, and green crown and back. But the males are also featuring a deep reddish-orange throat, which makes them easily differentiating from the females. They have a limited breeding range in the United States due to their unique habitat preferences. They only choose the narrow strip of coastal shrub and chaparral habitat to live along the Pacific Coast for mating and raising their young. But their breeding ranges can extend from the Coasts of Sothern Orange through California.
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