Anna's Hummingbird vs Azure-crowned Hummingbird

Calypte anna compared with Saucerottia cyanocephala

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Anna's Hummingbird Azure-crowned Hummingbird
Scientific Name Calypte anna Saucerottia cyanocephala
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)
Weight 4.3 g (0.15 oz) 5.599999999999999 g (0.20 oz)
Diet Nectar, small insects, and tree sap. Visits a wide variety of native and ornamental flowering … Feeds on nectar from dry Mexican highlands; supplements with small insects and spiders gleaned from …
Clutch Size 2 2
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Anna's Hummingbird 10.0 cm
Azure-crowned Hummingbird
Wingspan
Anna's Hummingbird 12.0 cm
Azure-crowned Hummingbird
Weight
Anna's Hummingbird 4.3 g
Azure-crowned Hummingbird 5.599999999999999 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Anna's Hummingbird only

Azure-crowned 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.

Azure-crowned Hummingbird

Song

Rapid, light twittering with bright crystalline quality; airy notes cascading freely in animated aerial display.

Geographic Range & Migration

Anna's Hummingbird

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

Azure-crowned Hummingbird

Found in humid montane forests from Mexico to Honduras at 800-2,500 m. Resident in Central American highlands.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Anna's Hummingbird

Least Concern

Azure-crowned 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

Azure-crowned 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.

Azure-crowned Hummingbird

A medium-sized hummingbird (10-11 cm) found in humid montane forests from Mexico to Honduras at 800-2,500 m. Green plumage with an azure-blue crown (males). Nectarivore of cloud forest edges and gardens. One of the most common highland hummingbirds in Mesoamerica.

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