Wildlife moment -- One tiny dynamo

YAKIMA -- It's barely 3 inches long, and weighs less than a tenth of an ounce -- about as much as a single penny. But its status as the tiniest bird over most of North America is not all that is remarkable about the calliope hummingbird.

Look beyond that Lilliputian size and consider:

* The calliope is the world's tiniest avian long-distance migrant, zooming north from west Mexico to breed in the mountains of western North America, then retreating back to its home in thornscrub habitats in the tropics by the end of summer.

* The male has a beautiful, reddish gorget -- a "beard" streaking across both sides of the male's throat -- that illicits "wows" from birders (and presumably from prospective mates as well). Those iridescent feathers glitter when sunlit.

* Its courtship display is thrilling to see. (More on that later.)

* And, finally, the calliope hummingbird is such a charismatic species, it was chosen as the mascot for the Yakima Valley Audubon Society, appearing on the newsletter, "The Calliope Crier."

WHERE AND WHEN TO SEE ONE: The males arrive from the south about the third week of April to brushy patches in lower eastern foothills of the Cascades, almost invariably timed with the spring bloom of wax currants. Good nearby locations include Trout Lodge on the Highway 12 and Gold Creek Lodge on State Route 410. Hikers note them on the Umtanum Falls Trail en route to the falls. In the Wenas Campground area, check the brushy hillside south and west from the campground. This slope's buckbrush and currants, perfect for the calliope.

HOW TO SPOT ONE: A sugar feeder placed in suitable habitat is the easiest way to find this species. Along the lower east slopes of the Cascades, the calliope will often perch atop naked branches of a tall shrub or small tree in terrain that has seen recent fire or logging; from a distance, it looks like a tiny blob at the branch tip. Listen for the male's zinging sound as it performs its courtship flight.

CHOW TIME: This bird forages primarily on nectar from tubular flowers. Favored plants here are currants, penstemons, and scarlet gilia. If other species of hummingbirds occur in the same area, calliopes typically focus on ground-hugging blossoms more than their larger relatives. The wax currant shrub is common almost everywhere and an important early season source of nectar. On warm days, tiny insects are snapped up in midair or plucked from leaves and grasses. Spiders are also taken. Sapsuckers, a woodpecker, drill holes in aspens and willows and return to gather insects attracted to flowing sap from these wells. Calliopes and other hummers also seek these wells for protein.

SOCIAL LIFE: The calliope male stakes out its nesting territory with an impressive display which involves rising straight up like a helicopter to perhaps 40 feet above the ground, hovering momentarily, then diving in a U-shaped arc with a super high-pitched zinging sound (created as air passes through their tail feathers). This display announces to other male calliopes that patch of habitat is taken. It also used to advertise to prospective females, "I'm a gorgeous guy and this patch is what I have to offer." If a female approves, the birds build a tiny nest -- a mere 11/4 inches across and deep, constructed with bark and lined with soft willow down. It is often placed on a branch near a cluster of pine cones, and can bear a striking resemblance to these. Incubation of the two eggs is 15 days; the young can fly 20 days after hatching.

IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS: The calliope's scientific name is Stellula calliope. Stellula is Latin, and means "little star," perhaps in reference to the male's sparkling gorget. Calliope, from Greek, has several meanings: pleasant, beautiful or in reference to Calliope, the "beautiful-voiced" head of the nine muses in Greek mythology and who inspired epic poetry.

WE'RE NO. 2! WE'RE NO. 2! Finally, as petite as it is, the calliope isn't No. 1 in avian puniness. The well-named bumblebee hummingbird of Cuba and Mexico is even smaller.