Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope
Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope, Juvenile. Photograph taken within the South Coast Botanic Gardens, Palos Verde Estates, California, August 2020. Photograph and identification courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.
Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, September 2007. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).
Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope. Photograph taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, April 2007. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).
Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope. Photographs taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, April 2012. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Sierra Vista, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).
Background and Identification
The Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope, is a member of the Trochilidae family of Hummingbirds that contains more than three hundred and thirty-five species. This species is the smallest breeding bird in North America and is known for its distinctive small size and striking plumage. Calliope Hummingbirds travel more than 5,000 miles each year to pine-oak forests in Mexico and then back to the States again, continually eating along the way. All species of hummingbirds must continually eat due to their small size and extremely high metabolism. They consume about half their body weight in bugs and nectar, sometimes more on long migration days. In Mexico they are known as Colibrí Calíope.
Calliope Hummingbirds are a slightly sexually dimorphic species, females are slightly larger than males. Adult females typically are approximately 7.7 cm (3.0 inches) in length and 2.8 g (0.10 oz) and he males are 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) and 2.5 g (0.9 oz). The male Calliope Hummingbird is recognized by its iridescent, magenta-colored throat feathers, called gorgets, which flare out like tiny ribbons. The rest of its body is mostly green on the upper parts, with a white underbelly. Females and immature birds are less colorful, with a pale throat and more subdued green upperparts.
Habitat and Geographical Range
Montane forests, meadows, and shrublands are the preferred habitats of the Calliope Hummingbird. They nest at elevations between 1,200 m (3,900 feet) and 3,400 m (11,200 feet). In the winter, they will most likely be found in open woodlands and scrub areas where flowering plants and small insects are abundant.
The Calliope Hummingbird is a migratory species, traveling thousands of miles every year between breeding and wintering grounds. They primarily breed in the mountainous regions of the western United States, particularly in the Rocky Mountains and surrounding areas. Their breeding range extends from southern British Columbia and Alberta in Canada down through the western United States. The western states include Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and parts of California and Oregon.
Common Misidentifications
The Calliope Hummingbird can be confused with other small hummingbirds, particularly the Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycerus. The Rufous Hummingbird is similar in size but is more orange-colored with a reddish-brown back, which distinguishes it from the Calliope’s green back and magenta gorget. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is larger and has a more prominent, metallic pinkish-red throat patch in males, compared to the Calliope’s narrower, magenta streaks.
Conservation Status
From a conservation perspective the Calliope Hummingbird is currently considered to be of as Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. While it has a relatively stable population, it faces threats from habitat loss in its breeding and wintering grounds. Reduction of food sources along migration routes also negatively affects Calliopes as well as other species that migrate seasonally from the States to Mexico.