Believe it or not, there are wild fighter jets on campus. You can catch a glimpse of the green blurs as they zoom around the orchard and the quad, parking on trees by Manzanita Hall and the front loading zone. People who amble too close risk facing the wrath of consecutive yet unpredictable divebomb attacks amidst the loud whirring of their “engines.” No matter where, there’s bound to be at least one — a hummingbird.

You’ve probably seen a couple of them as you walk around campus, but it’s more likely you’ve heard these frisky friends as they engage in a territorial game of tag while screaming like broken jacket zippers.

But you might not know that the buzzing and chirping song of the local Anna’s hummingbird (scientific name Calypte anna) is actually quite special. No hummer can mimic a songbird or warbler’s elaborate melodies, but these feathered friends are known to be more vocal than other hummingbird species, singing for an astounding 10 seconds or more (Hear their call!). Male Anna’s will use this song to woo female hummingbirds during breeding season, which occurs between early winter and early summer.

However, the Anna’s hummingbird is not only meant to be heard but also seen. Like many other organisms, the Anna’s hummingbird is sexually dimorphic, meaning the males are more colorful to help them court their female counterparts.

A male Anna’s hummingbird has a distinguishable magenta colored crown and gorget, the cap and the chin area of a hummingbird’s head respectively, that resemble a shiny pink ruby (See a male Anna’s hummingbird’s snazzy display). Their bright colors play a key role in the Anna’s hummingbird mating ritual, where the male hummingbirds attempt to impress the females by flashing their bright colors.

In comparison, the females lack most of the colorful feathers found on a male’s head, although some females have gorgets as well. Birdwatchers beware, though! Since they have yet to fully grow their flirty feathers, juvenile male hummingbirds often resemble adult females, but their general coloring tends to be more vibrant.

Although they often go unnoticed, the Anna’s hummingbird is here on campus all the time. They frequent the red flowers in the orchard; they enjoy the company of the sage bushes in the quad; they sing their animated song in the trees near the Zhang Athletic Center.

What’s more, according to the American Bird Conservancy, the Anna’s hummingbird was named after a 19th century Italian duchess known as Anna Masséna — that is to say, the history of this hummingbird’s discovery is at least 50 years older than the history of the school it lives in. So when you hear the hummingbird’s call, or see a bout of avian warfare in the quad, you’re in the presence of the legacy of Italian royalty.