Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, Female. Photograph taken within the greater Palm Springs area of southern California, March 2021. Photography courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, Female. Photographs taken in the greater Zihuantanejo area, Guerrero, January 2019. Photographsand identifications courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo. Note that this bird is approximately 800 km (500 miles) south of its known range.
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, Males. Photographs taken in the greater Zihuantanejo area, Guerrero, January 2019. Photographs and identifications courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo. Note that these birds are approximately 800 km (500 miles) south of its known range.
Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus, Males. Photograph taken within the greater Palm Springs area of southern California, March 2021. Photography courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, Males. Birds photographed in the greater Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California, December 2019.
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, Male. Photograph taken within the greater Palm Springs area of southern California, March 2021. Photography courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.
Background and Identification
Costa’s Hummingbird, Calypte costae, is a member of the Trochilidae Family of Hummingbirds. Like many other Nearctic hummingbirds, male Costa’s Hummingbirds perform elaborate courtship dances and dives. They consume nectar from various desert plants that vary on a seasonal basis but tend to eat more insects than other hummingbird species. The status and basic biology of this species remains poorly understood. In Mexico, this species is called Colibrí de Costa.
They are small in stature when compared to other hummingbirds, measuring about 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) to 9.0 cm (3.5 inches) in length. This species is sexually dimorphic, males and females have different plumage. The male Costa’s Hummingbird is especially distinctive, with an iridescent purple cap and throat, known as a gorget, which flares out on the sides of the head, creating a striking appearance. The rest of the male’s body is a metallic green on the upperparts and grayish-white on the underparts. Females and juveniles are less colorful, having pale gray throats and undersides, with greenish upperparts.
Habitat and Geographical Range
Costa’s Hummingbirds are found throughout the Sonoran Desert in desert scrub, chaparral, and coastal scrub. During the breeding season, they prefer desert scrub, mesquite, and other arid habitats, often near cacti or low shrubs where they can find flowering plants.
Costa’s Hummingbird is found in the arid desert regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its range includes southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Baja California, as well as parts of northwestern Mexico. In Mexico, they are found in the coastal regions within the Pacific Slope in the States of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit at elevations up to 1,200 m (3,000 feet). In the winter, some populations migrate to coastal regions or lowland deserts in Mexico, though others may remain in southern parts of their range year-round if conditions are favorable. They are highly adapted to desert life and can survive in extreme heat by reducing their metabolic rate during the night.
Common Misidentifications
Costa’s Hummingbird can be confused with other small hummingbird species, especially the females that are drabber in color and lack iridescent markings. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna, is larger and has more iridescent green coloring on the back, while the Black-chinned Hummingbird’s, Archilochus alexandri throat patch is purple but lacks the distinctive extended gorget of Costa’s males. Identifying Costa’s Hummingbird often comes down to noting the male’s characteristic purple face or the distinctive arid habitat it prefers.
Conservation Status
From a conservation perspective Costa’s Hummingbird is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. However, habitat loss due to urban development and agriculture in desert areas poses a threat to their long-term stability. The bird is well-adapted to desert life, but conservation efforts focus on preserving native desert flora and ecosystems critical to their survival, particularly during the breeding season when access to nectar sources is vital for feeding and raising young.