Anna's Hummingbird vs Needle-billed Hermit
Calypte anna compared with Phaethornis philippii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Anna's Hummingbird | Needle-billed Hermit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calypte anna | Phaethornis philippii |
| 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) | 11.4 cm (4.5 in) |
| Weight | 4.3 g (0.15 oz) | 4.9 g (0.17 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … | Nectarivore following trap-lining routes through Heliconia and Costus flowers. Catches small arthropods for protein. |
| 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.
Needle-billed Hermit
Soft, whispered twittering with delicate quality; barely audible sequence of minute high notes almost lost in ambient sound.
Geographic Range & Migration
Anna's Hummingbird
Western North America from southern British Columbia along the Pacific coast to Baja California. Range has expanded northward.
Needle-billed Hermit
Found in lowland rainforest of Peru and adjacent Bolivia in the upper Amazon basin. Sea level to 600 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Anna's Hummingbird
Needle-billed Hermit
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
Needle-billed Hermit
Minute Hermit: metallic green above; buff underparts; white postocular stripe; tiny size; decurved bill; streaked throat; pale belly
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.
Needle-billed Hermit
A medium-sized hermit hummingbird (12-14 cm) found in humid lowland forests from eastern Peru to western Brazil. Green plumage with rufous underparts and an unusually straight, needle-like bill for a hermit. Nectarivore of Amazonian forest undergrowth.