Photo Quiz 17

Answer to Previous:

Most of you were in the ballpark but unsure of which bird was which species. To those of you who said the left bird is Song and the right Lincoln's, you are correct! Andy's reasoning does a good job of explaning why, so I won't repeat.

To add, I know it's hard to see in the photo, but the right bird is less bulky (something easily felt in the hand). Also, the right bird has a buffy-washed flank whereas the left bird does not.

This next photo has not been identified by anyone. Neither the photographer nor I know what it is. The photographer has asked for a little help in pinpointing an ID.....so here you are

 

 
Courtesy of Alexandria Simpson, taken in Weslaco, Texas (Hidalgo County) on September 15, 2009 

 

 

Comments

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

The white over the eye makes it look a lot like an Anna's Hummingbird, which might occur in Texas, but it would be rare. It also might be a Magnificent Hummingbird which would still be rare. The last possibility I can think of is a Black-chinned Hummingbird, which would be a good possibilty if you go by range.

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

The white over the eye makes it look a lot like an Anna's Hummingbird, which might occur in Texas, but it would be rare. It also might be a Magnificent Hummingbird which would still be rare. The last possibility I can think of is a Black-chinned Hummingbird, which would be a good possibilty if you go by range.

[Alexandria Simpson]

You don't think it might be a Broad-billed, Rufous, or Allen's Hummer? The picture here doesn't do justice to the rufous wash on the flanks. I know that imm. and female Ruby-throats have slightly rufous flanks during migration but on the printed out photo I have it is pretty clearly rufous. Also, wouldn't a Black-chin have a black or purple spot on its throat? I'm not trying to start anything, just pointing out facts but this hummer's throat spot is reddish, which points to Broad-billed, Rufous, Allen's or Ruby-throats. And yes, speaking from experience (this was my backyard for two-and-a-half years remember), both Black-chins and Ruby-throats are common during migration NOT all the time like some suggest. I have heard that Rufous and Allens are occasional visitors so they could be possibilities. Anyone else have any ideas?

[Chris W]

First of all, def not a Calypte Hummingbird. It's too long, too thin, not chunky enough.

Also appears too drab to be a Selasphorus like Allen's or Rufous.

Magnificent is waaay bigger than this. This bird is also missing the diagnostic "90 degree angle" between the bill and the throat.

Broad-billed has some color at the base of the bill. This bill is entirely black.

Archilochus is probably the best answer here.
Given that the throat spot is reddish rather than purple and that the bird is in shadow and not full sunlight (giving perhaps a more accurate color estimate) Ruby-throat is the more likely of the two.
The slight rufous wash on the flanks also supports RTHU. The widely split tail supports RTHU as well.

A cinnamon or rufous wash on the flanks could support a Selasphorus Hummingbird, but I don't think it's enough here to rule out Archilochus.

The tail and rufous wash rule out Black-chinned.
I'm going with Ruby-throated.

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

The white "eyebrow" stretches farther than on a Ruby-crowned. It could be a Costa's subadult but it seems a little slim to be that. That is not a reliable field mark because it could be that way to cool down from the heat (if it was hot that day). It could also be a Black-chinned or an Allen's.

[Chris W]

@Tristan: The post-ocular stripe on Costa's is quite broad. Gives the impression of the bird having a dark cheek patch. This is def not a Calypte hummingbird.
Short bill, streaking on the throat (which Calypte would not display), elongated shape with an obvious neck.

Allen's is impossible due to the apparent size and shape as well. They are quite compact little birds. Black-chinned is the only other possible option besides RT. Given that Black-chinned Gorgets are purple, this appears to be more likely a RTHU.

[Alexandria Simpson]

Chris, I'd also like to point out the tail feather tips. When the photo is blown up, the tail tips seem to suggest Ruby-throat. They could also be Rufous or Allen’s but I only have experience with Ruby-throats, Black-chins, and Buff-bellies. Also when the photo is blown up the rufous is more extensive and it looks to me that the undertail coverts are slightly rufous as well. This could be the shadow but it looks too rufous to be the shadow. Don't Rufous and Allen's have rufous undertail coverts or am I mistaken? Also, from the bill to a little beyond the eye seems to be black. This could also be shadow. What would be considered a "cheek patch"? I am embarrassed to ask this but I want to know.

I dug out my trusty Hummingbirds of North America by Steve N. G. Howell. Why I didn’t think of it earlier, I have no idea. I waded through the technical, and rather dry text and red every entry that it might be. The ones it definitely couldn’t be, like Green Violet-ear, White-eared Hummingbird, and some others I gratefully skipped. This part about distinguishing imm. Ruby-throats from other similar hummers, was pretty depressing: “Some immature male Black-chinned Hummingbirds in fall can be deceptively bright emerald green above, with a green crown, relatively bright buffy flanks, and a relatively short bill that all suggest Ruby-throated.” Aahhhhh! Luckily this hummer has an obviously red throat patch.

[Alexandria Simpson]

I forgot to mention this: the throat is rather heavily streaked, a little too so for a Ruby-throat I think, from my experiences. Maybe I'm mistaken

[Alexandria Simpson]

Okay, after this no more comments from the peanut gallery, I promise; well, no more unless I absolutely have to. What about Broad-billed Chris? What might distinguish it from Ruby-throat. I am completely ignorant, I must admit, and really don't want to be put to sleep with a headache by Hummingbirds of North America. Are they too small and compact too?

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

I have very little experience with hummingbirds, mostly due to the area I live in (Great Plains area), but I do know that a Broad-billed would have at least a little bit of red on the bill. The red on the throat is also a distinguishing feature, along with the fact that there would most likely be gray under the eye instead of black. There also would be a faint eye-ring if it was a Broad-billed.

[Alexandria Simpson]

I'm sorry, I meant Broad-tailed. I know it isn't a Broad-billed. I don't have experience with hummers other than Ruby-throat, Black-chin and Buff-belly, so I am pretty ignorant of south-western species; however I know enough to know it is definitely NOT a Broad-billed. I know this is out of line but what species do you get? Here in Central Texas, I get both Ruby-throats and Black-chins. When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, the place this photo was taken, I got Buffy-bellies all year round and Ruby-throats and Black-chins, mostly during the migration, especially September.

[Alexandria Simpson]

I'm going to pipe up for the last time today. Where are all you other young birders? Hiding out or birding? Come on out and give us your opinions.

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

The only hummingbirds I get here are Ruby-throated and the occasional Calliope or Rufous during migration. I do however spend a lot of time studying guides when I'm not birding, so that helps me identify birds not regularly seen in my area. Also, in my opinion, there would be a eye-ring and less black on the post-ocular stripe if it was a Broad-tailed.

[Alexandria Simpson]

I spend quite a bit of my time reading field guides and other bird-related books too but that never can replace real field experience. That's why I say I'm "ignorant". I could probably ID about 50% of birds I've never seen, in the field and in photos but that's still 50% I may not be able to. Actually, I've gotten pretty good at IDing new birds. I don't consider myself any kind of expert though. Like I said before, I have both Ruby-throats and Black-chins but Ruby-throats seem to be in more abundance than Black-chins. Its really kind of funny because I have only seen an Eastern Bluebird once but Western and Mountain many times.

Howell, in Hummingbirds of North America, says "...face washed cinnamon in fresh plumage(through fall migration) so lacks cold-faced adult expression with whitish eye-ring." but I don't see the eye-ring or the cinnamon on an imm. male's face. I do, however, see your point about the less black on the post-ocular stripe; it appears to be more dingy gray-green than black, like it is on our hummer. 'Course our hummer is in the shadow so that could explain the dark post-ocular stripe looking black. I don't know. It seems to me a lot of the imm. and female hummers look a lot alike.

[Tristan Weinbrenner]

I agree with you completely, field experience is the best way to learn about birds. I think it especially helps with bird's songs. I will sometimes listen to a recording and remember the group the bird is in but I can't remember the species. When I hear it in the field I remember it for a long time and be able to recognize the species.

I also agree that it is hard to tell about the identification of this bird considering the fact that there are many molts and plumages the bird could be in especially with juveniles and non-breeding adults.

[Alexandria Simpson]

Or, a better name might be “trial and error”. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in three-and-a-half years of birding. And it always seems I make them while I’m birding with other birders besides my mom. Take, for instance, my little (excuse me, huge, gigantic!) misID I made while being a tour guide (Leader of the Flock; Tour Guide for a Day). I didn’t mention it in my article because it was just too embarrassing. To salvage what may be left of my dignity of making IDs based on songs and calls, I’ll just say I called a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker. I didn’t find my mistake until I got home, nearly a week later. My ears were not functioning right that day, because if they had been, I would never have called a Ladder-back a Golden-front. If you can, listen to the calls; you’ll notice there is a difference, quite a difference. Ladder-back has a rattle/whinny similar to the Downy for its normal call; Golden-fronted has a harsh, slowing kih-wrrr, repeated several time, as its most-used call. It’s actually quite funny, almost pathetic, and once I got over the Oh-My-Gosh-What-Did-I-Do! feeling, I had a good laugh.

This is probably bragging, but I have a good memory for the songs and calls I hear in the field; I can hear something and not look it up for several hours, sometimes even days, but still recall it, though not in syllables; once I hear a recording, I immediately recall it. I don’t always remember recordings unless I’ve heard them so many times they’ve been drilled into my head.

It could be worse; it could be an Empid Flycatcher in migration. Imm. and female ducks, hummers, all sexes of woodpeckers, and all those other hard-to-ID birds are pretty easy when you compare them to Empids. It gives me a headache even to think about them. When I see one in the field, I groan and pronounce it unidentifiable or groan and call it a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Lucky for me, I haven’t seen one Empid this year and it’s already December. The last one I saw was in September of ’09, more than a year ago, and I still haven’t IDed it from the one picture I have of it. I suspect it will be unIDed forever.

My mom suggested that this hummer might never be IDed. I hope that doesn’t come true though it is seeming to me that it may never be IDed. Sometimes we just hafta accept the fact some birds are unidentifiable.

[Alexandria Simpson]

I'm sorry for the extremely long comment yesterday...

Back to the hummer. The more I read the more I am convinced this is a Broad-tailed. Every photo I look at seems to suggest the hummer here. However, I still may be wrong. It could just as well be a Ruby-throat. Still, I'm getting pretty convinced this is a Broad-tailed Hummingbird. If I'm extremely wrong, would somebody please set me straight.

[BirdingCristina]

I believe it must be an immature male Black Chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) because of the spot in the throat, range and throat stripes.

Good luck with the ID!

[BirdingCristina]

"I believe it must be an immature male Black Chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) because of the spot in the throat, range and throat stripes."
Did I say spot? I meant that it is clearly beginning to show violet in the throat, a characteristic of the immature male black-chinned hummer.
:)

[Andrew Guttenberg]

Based on my experience with both Broad-tailed and Ruby-throated here in Montana, this is almost certainly a Ruby-throat. The bill on this bird is more tapered and down-curved than a BTHU. The head of a BTHU is smaller in proportion to its chunky body, with a rounder crown and shorter neck. The bird in your photo is flat-crowned, long-necked, and small-bodied. Also, the tail of a BTHU is longer, projecting somewhat farther beyond the wingtips. Plus, the central tail feathers of a BTHU are almost always the longest, unlike this bird. In color, a BTHU usually appears washed out, like an oversized Calliope. The buff flanks on a Broad-tail are more soft and even, and in this plumage, would not have green mixed in. I hope this helps! Check out this photo of a young male BTHU for comparison:

http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/Photos/Hummingbirds/juvmaleBTLH1.jpg