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A quintessential bird of nearly all lowland areas in California (and increasingly in Arizona and Oregon), Anna's hummingbird is large -- for a hummingbird -- and the males (like this one) have spectacularly rose-red throats and foreheads in good light. Hummingbird gorget colors are structural (not pigmentation) and light has to be coming from the correct direction to see the full effect; also, minor angle changes can visibly alter the perceived color. The photos were taken on an overcast day and there wasn't much light, but it was more or less omnidirectional so when the bird faced the camera, his gorget flashed. This hummer was defending a small patch of winter wildflowers at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in coastal Orange County, California (what looks like yellowish earth in the background of some images is a weakly golden sunrise, behind clouds). |
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