ANNA HUMMINGBIRD. Calypte anna (Lesson)

Field characters.—Largest of the hummingbirds found in the Yosemite region. Male with whole top of head, chin and throat iridescent magenta or rose-red; lower surface grayish green. Back in both sexes metallic green; no rufous or buffy at all in plumage. Female (plate 46b) with sides of body tinged with greenish, and with outer tail feathers broadly rounded at ends. Voice: 'Song' of male a high-pitched squeaky zeezy-zeezy-reezy-zee, etc., ending usually e-zeent', e-zeent'; females utter a low-toned sucking note, tsup, when foraging.

Occurrence.—Common resident of Upper Sonoran Zone on west slope of Sierra Nevada. Seen at Pleasant Valley, near Coulterville, and at El Portal. Observed also in Yosemite Valley on July 15, 18, and 28, August 25 and September 5 and 6 1920 (C. W. Michael, MS); also September 8, 1917 (J. Mailliard, MS).

The Anna Hummingbird is the best known of the California hummingbirds, chiefly because it is resident throughout the year almost wherever found, and is common in the most thickly populated parts of the state. It is common throughout the year at El Portal which is at the upper margin of the Upper Sonoran Zone. Although this bird was not observed by our party in Yosemite Valley it has been seen there in late summer and early fall by other persons as detailed above. It appeared at Smith Creek, east of Coulterville, on July 13, 1920, and was present in numbers at the end of that month.

During November and December of 1914 we saw individuals almost daily at El Portal. At this time of the year there were no flowers of any sort to be found in the vicinity, but the Anna Hummingbirds seemed to find enough good forage on the foliage of the golden oaks, about which they were seen almost exclusively. The minute insects which live on the leaves of the golden oak probably afforded sufficient forage of one sort, but the hummingbirds had another source of food supply.

It was noted that one or more Anna Hummingbirds were to be found regularly about a certain golden oak, but the reason for their attraction to this particular tree was not discerned for several days. Then, on December 11, one of these birds was seen hovering before, and drinking from, some punctures made by a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the bark of the oak tree. The hummer visited puncture after puncture just as it would the individual blossoms in a spike of flowers, and evidently partook of both the sap and the smaller of the insects which had been attracted by the sap. Ruby-crowned Kinglets and California Woodpeckers were also visiting the place, in addition to the sapsucker which had done the work. Thus the hummers, kinglets, and woodpeckers were all benefiting by the industry of the sapsucker without evident disadvantage to the latter, whereas all profited at the expense of the oak tree.

In May, Anna Hummingbirds were foraging among the flowers on the greasewood slopes about Pleasant Valley. A female taken at this time (May 30) had a yolk in the ovary; this would suggest breeding activity at a relatively late date for this species here. It is elsewhere known to nest as early as February, or even January.