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
Habitat Comparison
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
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
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
Anna's Hummingbird
Grey-breasted Sabrewing
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
Grey-breasted Sabrewing
Livingstone's Turaco: rich glossy green body; long green crest with white tips; white facial stripe; crimson flight feathers; red bill
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.