See if you can find the nest in the top photo. Click it to enlarge image.
If you have been birding on the West Coast lately, you have probably seen Anna’s Hummingbirds. This species seems to be adapting well to the human-altered landscape. Birder and author Kenn Kaufman refers to Anna’s as “the familiar year-round hummer of the west coast…”
Anna’s Hummingbirds have dramatically expanded their original range in Baja California and western California to include the entire Pacific Coast extending north to British Columbia and east to Arizona and Texas. Why the range expansion in this era of degraded and often declining habitat for many species? Anna’s Hummingbirds benefit from cultivated, exotic plants that bloom all year long, and from the widespread use of sugar-water feeders. Climate change may be a factor too.
Another interesting aspect of the Anna’s range expansion, is that it has become resident in the northern reaches of its range, like the Seattle area. How does this tiny bird survive cold winters? Anna’s and other hummingbirds are capable of going into a state of torpor. In this state, they lower their metabolism significantly during cold temperatures, especially at night. They can reduce their temperature from the normal 104-111 degrees F to 55 degrees F . Their heart beat is even more dramatically reduced from an incredible high during flight and foraging of 1,250 beats/minute to a normal resting rate of 250/minute all the way down to 50 beats per/minute at torpor.
Named after Anna de Rivoli, wife of the Duke of Rivoli, an amateur French ornithologist, Anna’s are showy birds that vocalize more often than most hummingbirds. You can often hear the squeaky, raspy, song (if you want to call it that) of the male. As the weather warms and brightens, Anna’s males can be seen flying straight up into the air, then dropping precipitously and looping back up again, making a loud “chirp” noise at the bottom of their dive. If you have the good fortune of looking directly at a Male Anna’s hummingbird, its irridescent plumage emits a spectacular bright magenta flash when it reflects light at the right angle.
Anna’s nests are hard to spot (see top picture), and amazingly compact. They are made of plant down and spider webs. Lichens are often used for camoulflage.
Hummingbirds are fiercely territorial around their food and nest, and Anna’s are no exception. I watched one depart from our backyard feeder to chase a Bald Eagle flying above our house. They seldom allow a second hummingbird to share our six-port feeder.
Having sufficient, reliable food is vital; hummingbirds can eat up to twice their body weight in nectar per day, along with numerous small insects or spiders. The many feeders, seemingly multiplying each year, provide lots of supplementary sugar water.
To feed hummingbirds, you only need to mix sugar with water. No red dye is necessary. The basic recipe is one part sugar to four parts water. Boil the water first, then cool it. This will make the mix last longer without spoiling. If you want hummingbirds at your feeder on a regular basis, clean your feeder weekly throughout the year and twice a week during warm weather.
Today there is snow outside. When this happens, or whenever temperatures are below freezing, bring the feeder inside at night to thaw it out. Then bring it back out early in the morning. Anna’s Hummingbirds are incredibly hungry during cold spells and sometimes will land on the feeder while you are holding it!
Being a part of “Anna’s World” is a great pleasure. They are worthy of their royal name.
Sources: Birds of North America, Kenn Kaufman; Birds of Washington State, Brian Bell and Gregory Kennedy; BirdWeb, Seattle Audubon Society ; Hummingbirds of the American West, Lynn Hassler Kaufman; The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, David Allen Sibley
