Anna's Hummingbird vs Reddish Hermit
Calypte anna compared with Phaethornis ruber
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Anna's Hummingbird | Reddish Hermit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Calypte anna | Phaethornis ruber |
| 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) | 6.6 cm (2.6 in) |
| Weight | 4.3 g (0.15 oz) | 2.4 g (0.08 oz) |
| Diet | Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … | Nectarivore of dense undergrowth flowers. Regularly hawks small flying insects and gleans spiders to meet … |
| 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.
Reddish Hermit
Thin, reedy whistle with slightly nasal quality; soft sustained note barely wavering, issued from dense shrub cover.
Geographic Range & Migration
Anna's Hummingbird
Western North America from southern British Columbia along the Pacific coast to Baja California. Range has expanded northward.
Reddish Hermit
Widespread in humid lowland forests from the Guianas south through Amazonian Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Found at 0–900 m.
Conservation Status
Anna's Hummingbird
Reddish 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
Reddish Hermit
White-whiskered Hermit: pale cinnamon-buff below; olive-brown above; white supercilium and malar stripe; elongated white-tipped tail feathers
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.
Reddish Hermit
A tiny hermit hummingbird (7-8 cm) found in humid forests from the Guianas through Amazonia to Brazil and Bolivia. Rufous-brown plumage overall with a curved bill. Nectarivore of dense forest undergrowth. Visits tiny flowers near the forest floor. One of the smallest hermits.