The magnificent male Costa's Hummingbird is mostly greenish with a dazzling purple face, cap, nape, throat, and gorget (throat), whitish underparts, and black wings and tail. The purple throat feathers extend to the sides and sometimes appear as if they are flaring from the body. The female is much more subdued in appearance and lacks the bright purple features. Cost's Hummingbirds measure about 3 1/2 inches in length.

Diet: The Costa's Hummingbird gets its energy from flower nectar, tree sap, and some small insects. They are sometimes attracted to feeders.

Habitat: The Costa's Hummingbird is most often found in arid desert environments, chaparral and areas with sage scrub.

Range: This hummingbird breeds west of the Continental Divide and south of the Great Basin in southern California, southern Nevada, eastern and southern Arizona, Baja California and parts of northern Mexico. It is thought to winter along the PAcific coast of central Mexico.

Nesting: Like most hummingbirds, the male Costa performs a spectacular courtship display in which rises and dives toward the female. In some of this swoops, he may pass only inches above the female and land on a nearby brach with a loud shriek. The female Costa constructs a small cup-shaped nest out of plant fibers and down and coated with lichen to hold it together. The female lays two white eggs which are incubated for two or two and a half weeks. The young are born completely helpless, but leave the nest in 18 to 23 days. Males play no part in raising the young.

Status: The status of the Costa's Hummingbird is poorly known, but there are no indications that the species is in decline.