Anna's Hummingbird

• GeneralThe male dives at 90 km/h and produces a chirp with his tail feathers.
• Its courtship dive reaches almost 100 kilometres an hour and, relative to its size, is the fastest descent of any vertebrate: it exceeds 385 body lengths per second, more than a fighter jet at full power.
• At the end of that dive it produces a sharp chirp that comes not from its throat but from its tail feathers, which vibrate as they spread in the air for a fraction of a second.
• It has extended its range hundreds of kilometres northwards over the past century, as far as Canada, following urban gardens and feeders, and now sees out snowy winters by entering torpor every night.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Chaparral, open woodland, parks and gardens of the west coast of North America

Sexual maturity

12 months

Gestation / incubation

16 days

Litter / clutch size

2

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (en): Anna's hummingbird

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.