Living in a rather colorless area means this particular bird really stands out because of his brilliant purple crown!
Meet Costas Hummingbird
“501 – COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD (4-14-07) male, east county, slo co, ca (2)” by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0.
Costa’s hummingbird (Calypte costae) is a very small hummingbird measuring 3 – 3.5 inches (7.6 – 8.9 cm) long, and an average weight of 3.05 grams. He has a mainly green back and sides, a black tail, and equally black wings. He has white patches under his gorgeted throat and tail. His most visible feature is his bright purple cap and throat with feathers flaring out behind his head.
Photo courtesy of DickDaniels (http://theworldbirds.org)/CC BY-SA 3.0
The female is not quite as outstanding as the male, weighing in at 3.22 grams, she is gray-green above with a white belly.
Juvenile birds tend to look more like their female counterparts.
These birds can be found in the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, wintering over in western Mexico.
“Costa’s Hummingbird (immature male) | Desert Museum | Tucson | AZ | 2015-10-12at12-34-521” by Bettina Arrigoni is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
This bird likes to reside in the arid brushy deserts and residential gardens of the southwestern United States and the Baja Peninsula of Mexico.
“Costa’s hummingbird, male” by AlanH2O is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
In its environment, this bird, like all hummingbirds, dines on nectar and tiny insects it might find in flower petals.
“HUMMINGBIRD, COSTA’S (4-14-07) male- 01” by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0.
During the breeding season, the female builds a small cup-shaped nest made from plant fibers, feather down, and sometimes spider silk. This is usually located on a yacca stalk or limb of a tree. Within she lays two white eggs which she incubates for 15 to 18 days before hatching.
“Costa’s Hummingbird (male) | Desert Museum | Tucson | AZ | 2015-10-12at12-34-078” by Bettina Arrigoni is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
This bird is regarded as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
“HUMMINGBIRD, COSTA’S (3-20-12) 78 circulo montana, patagonia lake ranch estates, scc, az -01” by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0.
You can watch this bird right here in the video below:
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