Calliope Hummingbird – a migrant through Las Vegas, Nevada

                 The Calliope hummingbird came to my feeder in Las Vegas during the spring. I knew it immediately because of its tiny size. It is the smallest bird in the United States. It is also the smallest migratory bird in the world.  Its scientific name, Stellula calliope, literally means ‘little star’ and ‘beautiful voice.’ I can’t argue with the ‘little star’ part, but ‘beautiful voice’ makes me wonder.

                I saw the Calliope hummingbird regularly until the beginning of June. Then it completely disappeared. It was only waiting at in Las Vegas for the weather to get better up north. It left when it could move into its nesting territory in the mountains.

                Identification: While it was at my feeder I was able to observe it with care. When the male turned his head from side-to-side I could see the side feathers of his gorget sticking out.  There are only two hummingbirds with the characteristic in our area and the Calliope is one.

If you get to see the gorget of the mature male you will notice that, unlike other hummingbird males, its gorget is striped with white. The iridescent feathers do not fill the throat area completely, giving the striped appearance. When the sun glints on them, they have a definite purple color.

                The Calliope’s incredibly tiny size was also apparent at the feeder. When seated, this hummer literally had to stretch to reach the holes that give access to the sweet water. While other hummingbirds lean over to feed, he has to reach up.

By Kati Fleming (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

                Another factor that allows the easy identification of this species is its short tail. When I saw a hummingbird come to my feeder here in Las Vegas and thought ‘my goodness, that bird has lost its tail’ I knew it was the Calliope hummingbird. The tail is so short it is completely covered when the bird closes its wings.

                Summer visit: After the first week of June I didn’t see a Calliope at my feeder until one stopped for a brief visit during the second week of July. This was an immature Calliope. I only saw it once, but recognized it

due to its size. Hummingbirds migrate as individuals. The young of the year, who have never flown the route before, are on their own to find their way down to Mexico. This one stopped briefly for refreshments and then moved on.

                This was during the worst of the fire on Mt. Charleston. I couldn’t help but wonder it that is why this particular Calliope chose to come to town, rather than move through the mountains.