[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Pitman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D3200 camera. (Date: January 14, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Pitman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D3200 camera. (Date: January 14, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Pitman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D3200 camera. (Date: January 14, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Ptman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D3200 camera. (Date: January 16, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Ptman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D3200 camera. (Date: January 16, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This male Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Russ Ptman Park, Bellaire, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (EFL=420mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: January 16, 2013)

[Length 3.25 in. Wingspan 4.25 in.]

This female Calliope Hummingbird was photographed at Piute Mountains, California, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 3, 2013)

[Length 3.5 in. Wingspan 4.75 in.]

Costa's Hummingbirds occur in southern California and southern Arizona. Hummingbirds get their name from the low humming sound produced by their rapidly beating wings. There are a number of birds that can hover, but Hummingbirds are the only ones that can actually fly backwards. Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. The effect is similar to a mirror reflecting bright light into your eyes. If the mirror is turned even slightly, the bright light disappears. Females lack this coloring since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This male Costa's Hummingbird was photographed at the Paton's backyard, Patagonia, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC17E II 1.7x Teleconverter on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: July 12, 2013)