ML625535330

Observation details

Adult male bird defending a territory near (34.4104885, -119.5268006). Possibly returning from last winter. I originally called it a Costa's based on the flared purple gorget, but a couple of times I thought I heard it giving a relatively quiet vocalization that sounded similar to an Anna's Hummingbird song. Sheri Williamson was kind enough to offer the following feedback: "Definitely an Anna's × Costa's hybrid, though not necessarily an F1 as the two species hybridize rather freely and produce fertile offspring. In addition to short, oddly shaped greater secondary coverts that are a telltale field mark for hybrids involving Anna's, his tail is a bit long and his R5s too wide and straight for an unhybridized Costa's. As you suspected, hybrid origin also explains his Anna's-like song."