Costa’s Hummingbird

United States

Jul 17

Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae)

Name Origin:
The genus name Calypte derives from the Greek kaluptē (“veil” or “covering”), referring to the male’s expansive iridescent crown and throat feathers. The species name costae honors Louis Marie Pantaleon Costa, a 19th-century French nobleman, collector, and early supporter of natural history studies.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 2–3 g (0.07–0.11 oz)
🌎 Range: Southwestern United States to northwestern Mexico and Baja California
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Desert scrub, arid washes, chaparral, and cactus-studded slopes
🧬 Clade: Mellisugini “Bees” (small North American hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Monotypic species — no recognized subspecies.

Distribution: Found in arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States (southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona) extending south through Baja California and northwestern Mexico (Sonora and Sinaloa). Breeds mainly in deserts and chaparral habitats, wintering locally and in coastal lowlands of Mexico.

Species Overview

The Costa’s Hummingbird is one of the most iconic hummingbirds of the American deserts, perfectly adapted to arid habitats where few other hummingbirds can survive. Named for its spectacular violet gorget that extends into long side plumes, this small species is a master of efficiency—able to endure temperature extremes and periods of flower scarcity.

Male Description:
The male has a vivid metallic violet crown and gorget, with the throat feathers extending outward like flared wings. The upperparts are greenish-bronze, the underparts grayish-white, and the tail dark with green reflections. In sunlight, the violet feathers produce a dazzling mirror-like brilliance visible from afar.

Female Description:
The female is green above and grayish-white below, with a faint whitish eye line and a small patch of iridescent violet on the throat. Her tail is rounded and tipped with white.

Habitat & Behavior:
This species favors desert washes, mesquite thickets, ocotillo stands, and coastal sage scrub, nesting in low shrubs or cacti. It feeds on nectar from Salvia, Epilobium, Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), and Chuparosa (Justicia californica), and supplements its diet with small insects caught in flight. The Costa’s Hummingbird is known for its dramatic courtship display: the male ascends high into the air before diving sharply in front of the female, producing a loud whistling sound with its tail feathers.

Conservation Note:
The Costa’s Hummingbird is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common and widespread across its desert range. Populations are stable, benefiting from flowering desert plants and urban gardens that provide nectar year-round. However, habitat loss due to urbanization and climate change–driven drought may affect some local populations. Protection of native desert vegetation and arid wash ecosystems is key to sustaining this brilliant Mellisugini hummingbird.