Calliope Hummingbird

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD – (Selasphorus calliope)

Conservation Status: Least concerned
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Selasphorus
Species: S. calliope

Calliope hummingbirds are located in western North America and are a migrating species.
They breed in the north from southern Alaska and most travel all the way south to winter in Mexico.

Calliope hummingbirds are named after a Greek mythological muse, who represented poetry and eloquence.
Calliope means “beautiful voice” in ancient Greek.

Male
Calliope Hummingbirds:

Male Calliope hummingbirds are North America’s smallest hummingbirds, known for their metallic green backs and creamy white underparts.
Their striking and identifiable feature is the long stunning row of iridescent magenta streaks on their throat (gorget) that flare out like a fan. 

They have a slender, slightly curved bill and a forked dark tail.
They are 3 inches long and weigh 2-3 grams.

The metal plate that shields the wearer’s throat during combat to prevent injuries is the inspiration behind the name of the gorget on a male hummingbird.

This name is acceptable and fitting to characterize the physical characteristics of male hummingbirds, since they fight fiercely for their own territory.

Read my article:
Hummingbird Gorgets Explained

Female
Calliope Hummingbirds:

The female Calliope hummingbird is less colorful than the male and lacks a gorget and iridescent feathers. They are small, elegant birds with metallic green backs and pale buff or white underparts.

They have a rounded tail with white tips and a slender, slightly curved bill, to feed on nectar and insects.

See my article:
Hummingbird Parents: (Mating to Nesting)

Juvenile
Calliope Hummingbirds:

Juvenile Calliope hummingbirds, both male and female, resemble adult females with metallic green backs and pale underparts until the male starts to develop the iridescent feathers that are characteristic of this species of hummingbird.

The male throats will begin to show faint speckling or streaks as they mature. 

As juveniles molt into their first full set of feathers, the fluffy white undertail coverts become visible. These feathers are a distinguishing feature and are often more prominent due to their soft texture.

Baby
Calliope Hummingbirds:

Baby Calliope hummingbirds are tiny, featherless, and have closed eyes at birth. They are pink-skinned and entirely dependent on their mother for warmth and food. 

As they grow, they develop gray down followed by green feathers. The mother feeds them nectar and insects until they fledge in about 2–3 weeks.

See my article:
Baby Hummingbirds: (Egg to Fledgling)

Hear the sounds of the Calliope hummingbird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology link).

Like many other hummingbirds, Calliopes use their feathers to manipulate their flight path in order to produce a variety of buzzing noises that serve as a type of language.  

The male will fervently fly back and forth and perform a “U” shaped courtship display to get the attention of the female when she is quietly perched.
He will perform a vocal serenade for the female while swaying his body back and forth in front of her.

See my article:
Hummingbird Dance: 5 Interpretive Explanations

In terms of social behavior, Calliope hummingbirds are generally solitary, especially outside of the breeding season.
They are territorial, with males often defending prime feeding territories from other hummingbirds.

See my article:
Why Hummingbirds Chase Each Other: Is it Friend or Foe?

The world’s smallest long-distance migratory bird is the Calliope hummingbird.
Their springtime migration patterns resemble those of Rufous hummingbirds. 

Throughout their northward spring migration where they breed, they traverse the Pacific Flyways.
On their southbound journey in the fall, they pass through the Pacific and Rocky Mountain Flyways towards their wintering destination in Mexico. 

When a female Calliope hummingbird builds a nest she is known to both nest on the top of pine cones and to steal building materials from the nests of other birds in order to construct her own.
She will dismantle nests from previous seasons and recycle them in her new nest.

Therefore, larger and more aggressive hummingbirds, such as Allen’s and Rufous hummingbirds, frequently chase and attack female Calliopes.

Compared to other species, the Calliope keeps a low profile in order to evade these attacks. 

See my article:
Hummingbird Parents: (Mating to Nesting)

Calliope hummingbirds hybridize and readily crossbreed with other hummingbird species, such as the Costa’s hummingbird.

Calliope hummingbirds are especially susceptible to habitat loss and natural catastrophes like wildfires and climate change because they have a smaller wintering range than other hummingbird species. 

The oldest known female Calliope hummingbird was twice captured during a 2007 and 2014 banding operation in Idaho. She was 8 years and 11 months old at the time of her capture.

See my article:
3 Reasons Why Hummingbirds Are Banded