Costa's Hummingbird
Calypte costae
About This Species
Look for a small hummingbird visiting flowering desert shrubs such as chuparosa and ocotillo, where males perform steep, whistling display dives to attract mates. Its throat and crown flash an iridescent violet-purple in good light, distinguishing it from other desert hummingbirds at a feeder or flower patch. Late winter through spring, when desert blooms peak and males are actively displaying, offers the most dramatic viewing.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watching from a still position near flowering shrubs or a feeder, rather than moving toward a perched or displaying bird, keeps disturbance to a minimum.
- Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned regularly and kept free of red dye, since contamination poses a greater practical risk than close observation.
- Wildlife protections for nesting birds vary by jurisdiction, so avoid approaching a nest closely even where a species is not formally listed as threatened.
LCAvesApodiformesTrochilidae
Seasonal Activity
323,586 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
Photo
(c) Braxton L., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Braxton L.
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.