Costa's Hummingbird

Description:

Small, male hummingbird with a gray and green coloring. It has a brilliant purple capped head and throat called a gorget. The purple feathers hang low on the sides creating a hood. If the light isn't hitting it just right, the head appears black. This male was battling with a male Anna's hummingbird for territory but stopped to clean itself long enough for this series.

Habitat:

Cape Honeysuckle in the backyard. This species only shows up in my yard in the winter. This is opposite of one of the references I've included that states it only leaves the desert in the hottest months for the cooler scrub areas. Admittedly, every winter week that it's present here, it is an unusually hot week for winter.

Notes:

A series showing the bird in flight can be seen at: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/852...