Costa’s Hummingbird is a small (2nd smallest bird in the USA) & stocky bird with a short tail, in contrast to the male’s extra-long Gorget (throat patch) that flares out on either side like an overgrown moustache. The iridescence on it, a vibrant violet, occurs when the light hits it at a certain angle, bringing into play the layers of prismesque air pockets; light bounces off them like a soap bubble, resulting in shimmering hues that shift as you look at them from different angles. When not light-activated into neon-shimmering metallic brilliance, the feathers seem black or dark grey. My little visitor has scoped out & decided that the orange bush whereupon my feeder is hanging, is the perfect R & R roost for him to set a spell. Not more than a yard or less from my kitchen window, it gives me a superb vantage point to observe/photograph him as he rests & preens himself.

Costa’s Hummingbird is a small (2nd smallest bird in the USA) & stocky bird with a short tail, in contrast to the male’s extra-long Gorget (throat patch) that flares out on either side like an overgrown moustache. The iridescence on it, a vibrant violet, occurs when the light hits it at a certain angle, bringing into play the layers of prismesque air pockets; light bounces off them like a soap bubble, resulting in shimmering hues that shift as you look at them from different angles. When not light-activated into neon-shimmering metallic brilliance, the feathers seem black or dark grey. My little visitor has scoped out & decided that the orange bush whereupon my feeder is hanging, is the perfect R & R roost for him to set a spell. Not more than a yard or less from my kitchen window, it gives me a superb vantage point to observe/photograph him as he rests & preens himself.