This is Bird Note.

The tiniest bird on the North American continent,

the Kaliapi hummingbird is barely more than three inches long

and weighs just a tenth of an ounce.

This little gem spends its summer in the mountains of Southwestern Canada

and the Northwestern United States.

It winters in Western Mexico.

From its perch atop an elderberry bush,

a male Kaliapi hummingbird surveys its territory.

First, we see just its metallic green back and needle-like bill.

But as it turns, its throat catches the sun and glistens

with slender shafts of rosy purple.

The male Kaliapi hummingbird flies a short distance and hovers

to drink nectar from the blossoms of a golden current.

The female has built a nest nearby on a hemlock branch,

among a cluster of old cones.

Sometimes, the shape of the nest resembles the cones.

You can see a photo of a female Kaliapi on her nest at our website.

While the exquisite hummingbird was named for Kaliapi,

the Greek muse of epic poetry,

the Kaliapi hummingbird is an inspiration in its own right.

Learn more about hummingbirds and which one you might attract to your garden

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