Anna's Hummingbird vs Grey-breasted Sabrewing

Calypte anna compared with Campylopterus largipennis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Anna's Hummingbird Grey-breasted Sabrewing
Scientific Name Calypte anna Campylopterus largipennis
Order Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Family Trochilidae Trochilidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length 10.0 cm (3.9 in)
Wingspan 12.0 cm (4.7 in) 14.5 cm (5.7 in)
Weight 4.3 g (0.15 oz) 7.980000000000001 g (0.28 oz)
Diet Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … Feeds on nectar from Amazonian understory flowers, favouring Heliconia. Supplements diet with insects and spiders …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Anna's Hummingbird 10.0 cm
Grey-breasted Sabrewing
Wingspan
Anna's Hummingbird 12.0 cm
Grey-breasted Sabrewing 14.5 cm
Weight
Anna's Hummingbird 4.3 g
Grey-breasted Sabrewing 7.980000000000001 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Anna's Hummingbird only

Grey-breasted Sabrewing only

Anna's Hummingbird

Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, gardens, parks, and open woodland along the Pacific coast. One of few hummingbirds not fully migratory.

Song & Call Comparison

Anna's Hummingbird

Song

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.

Grey-breasted Sabrewing

Song

Soft, melodic warbling with gentle flowing quality; notes weaving smoothly in quiet musical phrase. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.

Geographic Range & Migration

Anna's Hummingbird

Western North America from southern British Columbia along the Pacific coast to Baja California. Range has expanded northward.

Grey-breasted Sabrewing

Widely distributed in humid forests from Venezuela through Amazonia to Bolivia and Brazil. Resident in lowland forests.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Anna's Hummingbird

Least Concern

Grey-breasted Sabrewing

How to Tell Them Apart

Anna's Hummingbird

Plumage

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.

Bill

Medium-length, straight, thin black bill

Grey-breasted Sabrewing

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.

Grey-breasted Sabrewing

A large hummingbird (13-15 cm) widely distributed in humid forests from Venezuela through Amazonia to Bolivia and Brazil. Grey breast, green plumage, and thickened outer wing feathers (the sabrewing trait). Nectarivore of forest undergrowth and edges.

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