Anna's Hummingbird vs White-throated Hummingbird

Calypte anna compared with Leucochloris albicollis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Anna's Hummingbird White-throated Hummingbird
Scientific Name Calypte anna Leucochloris albicollis
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) 11.8 cm (4.6 in)
Weight 4.3 g (0.15 oz) 5.95 g (0.21 oz)
Diet Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … Visits flowering trees and epiphytes for nectar; supplements diet with small arthropods including gnats, midges, …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Anna's Hummingbird 10.0 cm
White-throated Hummingbird
Wingspan
Anna's Hummingbird 12.0 cm
White-throated Hummingbird 11.8 cm
Weight
Anna's Hummingbird 4.3 g
White-throated Hummingbird 5.95 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Anna's Hummingbird only

White-throated Hummingbird 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.

White-throated Hummingbird

Song

Melodic, ascending three-note phrase; clear flute-like tones rising smoothly in pleasant morning territorial song.

Geographic Range & Migration

Anna's Hummingbird

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

White-throated Hummingbird

Found from eastern Brazil through Uruguay to Argentina and Paraguay. Resident in Atlantic Forest and cerrado edges.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Anna's Hummingbird

Least Concern

White-throated Hummingbird

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

White-throated Hummingbird

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.

White-throated Hummingbird

A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) found from eastern Brazil through Uruguay to Argentina and Paraguay. Green plumage with a clean white throat and breast. Nectarivore of Atlantic Forest edges, cerrado, and gardens. Common in southeastern South America.

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