Calliope Hummingbird

Stellula calliopeOrder: APODIFORMES Family: Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Codes: Common Name: CAHU Scientific Name: STECAL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178048

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Overview

Calliope Hummingbird: Very small hummingbird, metallic green upperparts and flanks, white underparts. Throat feathers are long, purple-red, appearing as streaks on a white background, whiskers when fluffed out, or dark, inverted V when folded. Direct and hovering flight with very rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Calliope Hummingbird: Breeds in mountains from central interior British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, south through Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California to northern Baja California, and east to northern Wyoming, western Colorado, and Utah. Spends winters from northern to central Mexico. Found in mountains (along meadows, canyons and streams), in open montane forests, and in willow and alder thickets. Commonly found in chaparral, lowland brushy areas, and deserts during migration and in winter

Topo Map: Hummingbird-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"si tsi-tsi, tsi-tsi", "see-ree", "tsip"

Interesting Facts

The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest breeding bird in North America and the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world.

It prefers high mountains, and has been seen as high as 11,000 feet.

This bird was named after the Greek muse Calliope. The latin name Stellula means "little star," given for the male's streaked purple-red gorget over a white background.

A group of hummingbirds has many collective nouns, including a “bouquet", "glittering", "hover", "shimmer", and "tune” of hummingbirds.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Calliope Hummingbird

● Song: "si tsi-tsi, tsi-tsi", "see-ree", "tsip"

● Foraging & Feeding: Calliope Hummingbird: Feeds on nectar, insects, and spiders. Preferred flowers include paintbrushes, penstemon, columbine, trumpet gilia, and elephant head.

● Breeding & nesting: Calliope Hummingbird: Two white eggs are laid in a small lichen-and-moss nest covered with cobwebs, and built on a limb of a bush or well-protected small tree. Incubation ranges from 15 to 16 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Calliope Hummingbird: Female Rufous Hummingbird is larger with longer bill, darker flanks, and more rufous at base of tail.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with strong wing beats., Hovers when feeding.

● Range & Habitat: Calliope Hummingbird: Breeds in mountains from central interior British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, south through Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California to northern Baja California, and east to northern Wyoming, western Colorado, and Utah. Spends winters from northern to central Mexico. Found in mountains (along meadows, canyons and streams), in open montane forests, and in willow and alder thickets. Commonly found in chaparral, lowland brushy areas, and deserts during migration and in winter

^BreedingPolygamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.1 Ounces

Hummingbird-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Gorget

A small iridescent patch on the throat of a hummingbird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America