Costa's hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It breeds in the arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean climate zones of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, mainly in Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula. Like many hummingbirds in the region, it can be found on the Pacific coast, often visiting backyard hummingbird feeders and gardens with flowering plants, as well as in more wild ecosystems, such as the conifer and oak forests, chaparral, and high desert habitats found further inland. When not in the US, the species often winters in western Mexico.
Region
Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
Typical Environment
Found from coastal southern California and the Baja California Peninsula inland through the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. Occupies desert scrub, washes with flowering shrubs, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral, and extends into open oak and pinyon-juniper woodland edges. Common in suburban areas with hummingbird feeders and nectar-rich plantings. Winters mainly in western Mexico, with some year-round residents in Baja and parts of Sonora.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Costa's hummingbird males have a striking, flared purple gorget and crown that can look like a tiny helmet when the light hits just right. They are well adapted to desert life and can enter nightly torpor to conserve energy. Males perform dramatic U-shaped display dives and high-speed chases during courtship. They readily visit backyard feeders and flowering gardens within their range.
Male Costa's hummingbird
Temperament
active and territorial
Flight Pattern
rapid wingbeats with agile hovering and quick darts
Social Behavior
Generally solitary outside breeding, with males vigorously defending nectar sources. Courtship involves stationary song posts and dramatic U-shaped display dives. Females build tiny cup nests in shrubs or small trees and raise the young alone.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
High, thin chips and buzzy notes delivered from exposed perches. During displays, males add sharp, insect-like trills and wing-produced whistles.
Plumage
Male with iridescent purple crown and expansive, flared gorget that projects along the sides of the throat; green upperparts and grayish-white underparts with greenish flanks. Female lacks the purple crown and gorget, showing green above and pale grayish below with buffy wash on the sides. Both sexes have a slender, slightly decurved bill and short tail.
Diet
Primarily nectar from tubular flowers such as chuparosa, ocotillo, penstemon, and desert lavender. Also consumes small insects and spiders for protein, hawking them in midair or gleaning from foliage. Freely visits sugar-water feeders where available.
Preferred Environment
Feeds at flowering shrubs in desert washes, chaparral edges, and coastal sage scrub. Common in gardens and urban parks with abundant nectar sources and feeders.
