ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD.
(Calypte anna.)
Life-size.
FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES.
Such a dainty dress as that worn by most of the hummingbirds deserves constant attention. Appreciating this these little lovers of sunshine are very fond of preening their beautiful feathers. While thus engaged they usually perch on a bare or dead twig in an exposed position. Truly fortunate is he who is afforded the opportunity of watching a hummingbird at this time. In this position various and graceful attitudes are assumed and the colors of the plumage are most beautifully exhibited. Mr. Audubon tells us that when perching the hummingbirds “move sidewise in prettily measured steps, frequently opening and closing their wings, pluming, stroking and arranging the whole of their apparel with neatness and activity.”
Hummingbirds are very aggressive and show no fear, especially when defending their nests. They will furiously attack any bird or other animal that excites their enmity. They have been known to follow and annoy hawks and other birds much larger than themselves.
Mr. Ridgway says: “In their disposition hummingbirds are not only very tame but highly curious or inquisitive, and exhibit a special propensity to closely inspect a human intruder to their domain.” This characteristic may be frequently noticed in the actions of our common ruby-throat. In spite of the fact that the hummingbirds are easily tamed and may even be induced to take food from the hand or from a flower so held as to attract their attention, they do not survive confinement for any length of time.
Although the nectar of flowers forms a large part of their food, it has been shown that insects also form no inconsiderable portion.
The high degree of intelligence possessed by the hummingbirds is shown in the construction of their nests. Some of the species make the nests “of such form or material as will serve to imitate natural excrescences of a branch, such as a knot or a pine cone.” Other species make a hammock-like nest that they suspend from cliffs by attaching spiders’ webs. Mr. Thomas M. Brewer writes: “Indeed, it is probable that there is no other family whose architectural achievements are more varied than those of the hummingbirds. These variations include not only the material of which the nests are made and the positions in which they are placed; but also the general style of their construction, exhibiting constant differences, in the several species, in the ingenuity and beauty displayed in each design.” Even individual species will change the usual plan of their nests in order to adapt them to the requirements of their environment. In favorable localities a new nest will be built each season on top of the old one of the year before. “The hermit hummingbirds fasten their elongated nests to one side of the extremity of long-pointed leaves for protection, it is supposed, against monkeys and other predaceous animals.”
The eggs of the hummingbirds, invariably two in number, are white and free from spots. Though very small they are large when compared with the size of the bird that laid them. It is claimed by most authorities that under favorable conditions two broods are raised each season.
The Anna’s Hummingbird of our illustration is one of the most striking of those best known. It is perhaps the most beautiful of the species that frequent the United States. It is a native of California and in its migrations passes southward through Arizona to the table-lands of Mexico. It is also found in Lower California.
The head and ruff of the male have a lustrous metallic purplish red color. The female is bronze green above, though the top of the head is sometimes brownish, showing but little if any metallic luster. Both sexes vary somewhat in color. This is especially true of the males, some individuals having more purplish red on the crown and throat than others.
This species inhabits a metal producing region and it is an interesting fact, as cited by Mr. Gould in his “Monograph of the Hummingbirds,” that “those districts or countries having a metalliferous character are tenanted by species of hummingbirds which are more than ordinarily brilliant and glittering.”