EXCEPTIONAL PLUMAGE OF A FEMALE ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD IN LOS ANGELES

Abstract

 Hummingbirds are often sexually dimorphic, the males of many species showing an ornamental gorget that females lack. Males use this ornamental plumage to attract mates and establish a territory, while females build nests and care for the young alone. In Los Angeles, California, we observed a nesting Anna’s Hummingbird with male-like plumage on the crown and gorget but the rectrix morphology of a female—and it reared chicks. The extent of gorget development on this individual likely represents one of the most extreme examples of a male-plumaged female hummingbird yet documented.