Juvenile Male Anna's Hummingbird Long Sleeve T-Shirt

This immature male Anna's hummingbird has just the beginnings of his beautiful adult beautiful pink-rose gorget.

The coloring does not come from pigmentation in the feather structure, but instead from prism-like cells within the top layers of the feathers. When light hits these cells, it is split into wavelengths that reflect to the observer in varying degrees of intensity, similar to the principle of the rainbow. The Hummingbird feather structure acts as a diffraction grating. The result is that, merely by shifting position, a muted-looking bird will suddenly become fiery red or vivid green. The resulting colors are much more vivid and iridescent than those of birds with only pigmented feathers. Hummingbirds are little jewels!

I am a published nature and wildlife photographer with a special interest in the difficult art of hummingbird photography. I have lived in southern Arizona for over 40 years and have fallen in love with the diverse environment and it's flora an fauna. Arizona boasts 18 species of hummingbirds, more species than any other state except Texas. There are numerous hummingbird hotspots, havens, sanctuaries, feeding stations, and staging areas sprinkled throughout the state and hummingbird festivals in Eagar and Sedona. If you have seen one of my photographs on another venue and would like to see it on fineartamerica, please contact me at Cedecea@aol.com.