Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird is the Medium hummingbird. The male has bronze-green upperparts, dry gray underparts. Covering and throat are sparkling red, may appear black or dark lavender in low light; broken white eye-ring is usually visible. Tail is dark green with black outer tail fluff. Feeds on nectar, insects, spiders, and sap.
Inhabitant from northern California southward; spends winters frequently from British Columbia south to Arizona. Favorite habitats include chaparral, brushy oak woodlands, and gardens.

Interesting Facts

Anna's Hummingbirds eat more insects than any other North American hummingbird.
Improved planting of ornamental, flowering plants, due to expansion in California over the past fifty years, has permitted these birds to greatly enlarge their breeding range.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

American Woodcock

American Woodcock
American Woodcock

American woodcock is the Medium, with buff-brown underparts and an upperpart is dark-streaked gray-brown. Head has black bars rather than the stripes of most other sandpipers. Eyes are black and very large; bill is dull yellow with a black tip and is long and heavy. The legs and feet are Pale. It is found in open woodlands and moist overgrown fields from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast.

Interesting Facts

The detailed courtship habit of the male American Woodcock may be frequent as long as four months running, sometimes long-lasting even after females have already come up with their clutch and left the nest.
In this species, there is no pair bond and the male give no parental care. Nor is there any proof of a social power hierarchy.