Anna's Hummingbird Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesAnna's Hummingbird
Adult male
Stocky for a hummingbird with a straight bill. Adult males have a rose-pink throat and crown.
© Kyle Blaney / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 02, 2013Female/immature male
Somewhat stocky for a hummingbird. Females/immatures are metallic green above with some reddish-pink feathers on the throat.
© Mason Maron / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 28, 2020Adult male
Males perform spectacular courtship displays in which they climb up to 130 feet into the air before swooping to the ground with a burst of noise that they produce through their tail feathers.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, January 10, 2021Immature male
Immature males are duller than adult males and lack a full gorget on the throat.
© Marky Mutchler / Macaulay LibraryArizona, August 09, 2020Female/immature male
Females/immature males have greenish upperparts, blackish wings, a small pinkish patch on the throat, and a white spot behind the eye.
© Ronan Nicholson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 06, 2020Adult male
A small shift in head position changes the color and intensity of a male's gorget and crown feathers.
© Mason Maron / Macaulay LibraryWashington, December 20, 2020Female/immature
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, July 01, 1997Not all videos have sound
Female
Females are metallic green above and grayish below with bits of reddish spotting on the throat. Note pale line over the eye.
© Ryan Winkleman / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 16, 2017Adult male
Adult males have a brilliant reddish-pink crown and throat and grayish underparts.
© Steven Mlodinow / Macaulay LibraryWashington, October 24, 2014Immature male
Immature males have a blotchy rose-pink crown and throat.
© Robert Hamilton / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 10, 2017Adult male
Adult males' iridescent throat and crown feathers can appear blackish depending on the lighting.
© Drew Beamer / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 05, 2021Adult male
Common in yards, parks, residential streets, eucalyptus groves, riverside woods, savannahs, and coastal scrub.
© Joshua Covill / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, March 24, 2017Similar SpeciesBroad-tailed Hummingbird
Adult male
Adult male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds lack the adult male Anna's red crown.
© Gregg Friesen / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 29, 2017Similar SpeciesBroad-tailed Hummingbird
Female/immature
Female/immature Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have cinnamon-washed flanks, unlike the grayish green flanks of Anna's Hummingbirds.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryUtah, October 11, 2009Similar SpeciesBlack-chinned Hummingbird
Adult male
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are sleeker overall with a thinner neck than Anna's Hummingbirds. The male's dark purple gorget is limited to just the throat, whereas male Anna's have a red gorget and crown.
© Ian Hearn / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, July 13, 2017Similar SpeciesBlack-chinned Hummingbird
Female/immature
Female and immature Black-chinned and Anna's are difficult to separate. Black-chinned often appear more slender than Anna's. Most also have a clean throat, while some Anna's have a red spot on the throat.
© Paul Fenwick / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 14, 2016Similar SpeciesCosta's Hummingbird
Adult male
Adult male Costa’s Hummingbirds have a much deeper purple gorget that extends farther on the sides of the neck than the red gorget on male Anna's Hummingbirds.
© Gordon Karre / Macaulay LibraryArizona, February 06, 2017Similar SpeciesCosta's Hummingbird
Female
Female and immature Costa's Hummingbirds don't have central red feathers on the throat that most female/immature Anna's Hummingbirds have.
© Herb Elliott / Macaulay LibraryArizona, December 28, 2016Similar SpeciesRufous Hummingbird
Female/immature
Female/immature Rufous Hummingbirds have cinnamon-washed sides, while female/immature Anna's have grayish green flanks.
© Ian Routley / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 16, 2016Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Hummingbirds(Order: Caprimulgiformes, Family: Trochilidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.