Anna's Hummingbird vs Green-headed Hillstar

Calypte anna compared with Oreotrochilus stolzmanni

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Anna's Hummingbird Green-headed Hillstar
Scientific Name Calypte anna Oreotrochilus stolzmanni
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) 8.016666666666667 g (0.28 oz)
Diet Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … Nectarivore of Peruvian high puna; visits Chuquiraga and Lupinus blooms. Supplements with small flies and …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Anna's Hummingbird 10.0 cm
Green-headed Hillstar
Wingspan
Anna's Hummingbird 12.0 cm
Green-headed Hillstar 14.5 cm
Weight
Anna's Hummingbird 4.3 g
Green-headed Hillstar 8.016666666666667 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Anna's Hummingbird only

Green-headed Hillstar 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.

Green-headed Hillstar

Song

Soft, pure descending whistle; gentle single note curving downward smoothly, warm and musical in quiet forest.

Geographic Range & Migration

Anna's Hummingbird

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

Green-headed Hillstar

Found on the western Andean slope and coastal desert hills of Peru at 1,500–3,600 m elevation.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Anna's Hummingbird

Least Concern

Green-headed Hillstar

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

Green-headed Hillstar

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.

Green-headed Hillstar

A medium-sized hummingbird (11-12 cm) found in the Andes of Peru and Ecuador at 2,800-4,200 m. Green plumage with a glittering green hood. Nectarivore of high-altitude shrubs and Puya plants. Closely related to Andean Hillstar. Sometimes considered conspecific.

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