Flying Jewels

Darting after insects or hovering near flowers, hummingbirds are the busiest of backyard birds and the most noticeable. The Anna’s hummingbird is the most common. Found year-round in the Southland, the males have ruby red throats as iridescent as an abalone shell. Anna’s is also the smallest bird in the world is a 2 1/2-inch-long hummer found in Cuba. Most other hummingbirds found in Southern California are just passing through, commuting between Mexico and Canada in the spring and the fall. Planting any number of nectar-rich plants, especially those with red, tubular flowers, may coax a brief visit to your backyard.

Of Flight and Feathers

Unlike most birds, which use only the downstroke of the wing for power, hummingbirds use both the down and upstrokes, enabling them to hover at 38 beats a second and accelerate instantly. Their shoulder joints permit the rotation of the wings that allows them to fly backward, straight up and down and even sideways. At 78 beats per second, hummers can reach speeds of 25 to 30 mph.

Eating Like a Bird

Hummingbirds burn from 6,600 to 12,000 calories per day. Their resting heart rate is 500 beats per minute, but it can go up to 1,200 beats per minute when excited.

A unique forked tongue helps the hummer eat nectar and insects by licking the inside of flowers at a rate of 13 times a second.

From Tiny Eggs, Fierce Fighters

Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs in the world, usually less than half an inch in diameter. They almost always lay two eggs, which incubate for 15 to 22 days, in a very soft nest made of down, lichen and leaves. Hummers frequently battle for territory but rarely inflict serious injury.

In the Wild, and in the Yard

Hummingbirds are most easily found by the flowers they visit. They hover while feeding and select flowers spaced wide apart, so there is no chance of their becoming entangled.

Hummer’s favorite flowers tend to have long tubular blooms, attracting birds but not insects or bees. Hummingbirds seem to prefer red flowers, as shown in this garden illustration, but the most important factor is nectar content. Other plants that attract them include bird of paradise, lavender, hibiscus, trumpet vine, monkey flower, ceanothus, lupine, iris, foxglove, gladiolus, eucalyptus and silk tree.

Fast Food

The best feeders have red parts to attract the birds and perches. To make nectar, mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Stir the sugar into the water and bring to a boil. (Note: Red dye is not recommended because the dye can be harmful to the birds over time.)

Anna’s

The largest California hummer is 3 1/2 to 4 inches long. Both male and female have a green back. The male has a crimson head and throat. Their range is California and Baja California; they do not migrate.

Allen’s

A coastal bird often spotted in Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach and Catalina, it can be seen along the coast to Oregon. It migrates north in the spring and starts south early in July. It has a green back; the males have rust-colored sides and tails and orange-red throats.

Black-Chinned

Seen throughout California and the West Coast, it arrives here in April and returns to Mexico in early September. The female has a green head in back and is grayish white underneath. The male’s head and chin are black.

Broad-tailed

Also called the Rocky Mountain hummingbird, it can be seen in east Central California near the Nevada border from May though July. The male has a green head, back and tail and a rosy-red throat.

Calliope

This is the smallest bird in the United States (2 8/10 to 3 1/2 inches long). It can be found in the High Sierra and higher elevations in local mountains. It arrives in California in early March on its way to British Columbia, returning in September. The male has long metallic magenta feathers across its throat, a gold-green back and brownish-gray tail feathers.

Costa’s

This desert bird is seen all year in the Palm Springs area. During migration in early spring it can be found in the San Gabriel Valley. Males have amethyst helmets, green backs and dusky green tail feathers.

Rufous

A mountain hummer, it passes through Southern California in mid-February on its way to southern Alaska. It returns in July on its way to Mexico. Males have rust-colored backs and tails, copper throats and bronze-green crowns.