Anna's Hummingbird vs Barn Owl
Calypte anna compared with Tyto alba
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Anna's Hummingbird | Barn Owl |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calypte anna | Tyto alba |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Strigiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Tytonidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 10.0 cm (3.9 in) | 35.0 cm (13.8 in) |
| Wingspan | 12.0 cm (4.7 in) | 90.0 cm (35.4 in) |
| Weight | 4.3 g (0.15 oz) | 350.0 g (12.35 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … | Almost exclusively small mammals, especially voles and mice. Hunts using extraordinary hearing to locate prey … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Anna's Hummingbird only
None
Barn Owl only
Anna's Hummingbird
Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, gardens, parks, and open woodland along the Pacific coast. One of few hummingbirds not fully migratory.
Barn Owl
Open farmland, grasslands, and marshes. Nests in barns, church steeples, tree cavities, and purpose-built nest boxes.
Song & Call Comparison
Anna's Hummingbird
Male produces a complex, scratchy song with buzzy 'dzzzzt' notes. Gives a nasal 'chee-chee-chee'. Males sing year-round, even in winter; one of few hummingbirds with true song.
Barn Owl
An eerie, drawn-out rasping shriek 'shreeeeee' — not a hoot. Also gives hissing, snoring, and bill-snapping when disturbed. Chicks call with a persistent rasping hunger call.
Geographic Range & Migration
Anna's Hummingbird
Western North America from southern British Columbia along the Pacific coast to Baja California. Range has expanded northward.
Barn Owl
The most widespread owl and one of the most widespread land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica.
Conservation Status
Anna's Hummingbird
Barn Owl
How to Tell Them Apart
Anna's Hummingbird
Metallic bronze-green upperparts. Males have an iridescent rose-red crown and gorget. Females have green upperparts with grey underparts and a small red gorget patch.
Medium-length, straight, thin black bill
Barn Owl
Pale golden-buff upperparts with delicate grey mottling. Pure white heart-shaped face and white to pale buff underparts. Ghostly white appearance in flight.
Pale pinkish hooked bill nearly concealed by the facial disc
About These Birds
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's hummingbird is the most common hummingbird along the Pacific coast and one of only three species resident in the United States year-round. Males perform spectacular dive displays, plummeting from 40 meters and pulling up with a loud chirp produced by tail feathers. Their body temperature can drop to near ambient at night to conserve energy.
Barn Owl
The barn owl has the most asymmetrical ears of any owl, giving it the finest auditory localization ability in the animal kingdom. It can catch prey in complete darkness using sound alone. The barn owl's distinctive heart-shaped face acts as a parabolic dish, funneling sound to its offset ears.