A Cruising Anna

A hummingbird is captured mid-flight against a clear blue sky. Its wings are in motion and the bird appears focused on an unseen... more

by Robert Bales

Title

A Cruising Anna

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

A hummingbird is captured mid-flight against a clear blue sky. Its wings are in motion and the bird appears focused on an unseen target.

Anna's Hummingbird is 3.9 to 4.3 inches (10 to 11 centimeters)long. It has a bronze-green back, a pale grey chest and belly, and green flanks. Its bill is long, straight and slender. The adult male has an iridescent crimson-red crown and throat, and a dark, slightly forked tail. Anna's is the only North American hummingbird species with a red crown. Females and juveniles have a green crown, a grey throat with some red markings, a grey chest and belly, and a dark, rounded tail with white tips on the outer feathers.
These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue. They also consume small insects caught in flight. A PBS documentary that first aired January 10, 2010, shows how Anna's Hummingbirds eat flying insects (at 16:45).They aim for the flying insect, then open their beaks very wide. That technique has a greater success rate than trying to aim the end of a long beak at the insect.

Uploaded

March 12th, 2024