Anna’s Hummingbird

Before the 1930’s, Anna’s Hummingbirds were restricted to southern California and Baja California. These hummingbirds now breed in western Texas and north to British Columbia. They are now found all year in Washington, although it has not been deterimed if the breeders are the same individuals as the wintering ones. We have listed the species often, but the top and the bottom images depict a male and a female posing for photographs at our Seattle friends’ feeder.

When we got home from Seattle, we caught the male Anna’s shown in the middle photo. The color is not quite brilliant enough, but you get the idea. Anna’s Hummingbirds are named after the duchess of Rivoli, Anna de Belle Masséna, who, by all accounts, was both young and beautiful (Gruson 1972). She and the duke owned the collection from which Lesson described the species in 1829.