Birdsong field guide
Xantus's Hummingbird
Basilinna xantusii
A medium-sized hummingbird endemic to Baja California, distinguished by its bold white postocular stripe and warm cinnamon underparts.
What it sounds like
A sharp, metallic 'tink' or 'tsick' call; the song is a series of high-pitched, buzzy, and liquid chips.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- It is the only hummingbird species strictly endemic to the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.
- The species was named in honor of John Xantus de Vesey, a Hungarian naturalist who collected the type specimen in 1859.
- Unlike many North American hummingbirds, its peak breeding season often follows the summer monsoon rains in late summer and autumn.
- While primarily sedentary, it is a noted vagrant with rare sightings recorded as far north as British Columbia.
- It is the sister species to the White-eared Hummingbird, with which it shares the prominent white stripe behind the eye.
Habitat
Arid thorn scrub, pine-oak woodlands, and montane canyons.
Range
Southern Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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