A dazzling desert stud you are!

This male Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) is identified by his magnificent purple gorget and the white mid-line stripe down his breast that separates his green vest.

In courtship, he singles out his lady love and then zips to the sky, making sure she's watching, and falls into a u-shaped dive while crooning a unique whistle signature, distinct to his species. If she's unimpressed, he wiggles his luscious mantle in front of her, "until his glowing metallic face resembles a baby octopus." All lover, he's been caught creating hybrids with Anna's, Black-Chinned, and Broad-billed hummingbirds.

When the desert heat becomes too much, these little beauties retreat to chaparral, woodland, and riparian corridors.

Truly a diamond in the desert, he is.