8 replies to this topic

[PanHanNE]

Garden County Nebraska (panhandle)
August 2012

Since my last post, I have learned that although our area is not shown on any of the migration maps for any hummingbirds, there are four hummingbirds regularly found here:
Broad-tailed, Calliope, Ruby-throated, and Rufous.

I have also done a little more research on those four species, and "think" that perhaps I have captured images of two other species besides the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds that were identified in my previous post.

1> Calliope - the only hummingbird with wings longer than the tail


2>The wings almost look longer than the tail in this one, too, but I think it was just the hunched position it was sitting in in the photo. They are quick, so I won't swear to that on a stack of bibles .

Rufous? (the upper tail is dark, not the orange/rufous I see in most other pictures of rufous,but with the orange head and neck, and rufous under the wing above the tail, I am not sure what else it could be.) One source (USGS.gov) stated: (Female and Immature)

• Dark tail with rufous at the bases of the retrices, and white tips on the outer three retrices

[PanHanNE]

Bump.

Please?
Anyone with an opinion? Any hummer that can be confirmed would be a lifer.

[JimBob]

Thinking Rufous, and Ruby.

[PanHanNE]

Anybody else want to offer an opinion or confirmation?

[TheBillyPilgrim]

Agree that the 2nd bird looks like a female Rufous. Not sure on the first bird, but that bill looks too long and thick for a Calliope. If I had to guess, I'd go with female Ruby-Throated based on the dark lores. I think its just hunched, making the wings look longer than they are. Definitely not 100% on that bird, though.

[PanHanNE]

Thinking Rufous, and Ruby.

Agree that the 2nd bird looks like a female Rufous. Not sure on the first bird, but that bill looks too long and thick for a Calliope. If I had to guess, I'd go with female Ruby-Throated based on the dark lores. I think its just hunched, making the wings look longer than they are. Definitely not 100% on that bird, though.

Thank you both for at least offering a thought.

That is two "thinks" for Ruby-throated for the first bird, and two Rufous for the second. (three Rufous counting my "think")

SInce, to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen a Ruby-throated or a Calliope before, I am at the mercy of information I find for identifying them, and others opinions. All I have found for descriptions of female Ruby-throated say they show NO orange on the flanks and belly, only a gray wash. I have seen a few photos of birds identified as female Ruby-throated that show an orange wash, but never on a site that is describing Field Marks.

Could I maybe get another opinion or confirmation. While the first bird might not be a Calliope, from what I find for descriptions and field marks, I am uncertain that it can be a Ruby-throated.

[notactuallytom]

I think about the only thing I can say is that neither of them are ruby-throated. Note the rufous section on the tail in the second picture and the rufous sides in the first picture. My best guess would be immature male calliope on first bird and female broad-tailed on second bird, but it is really hard to tell for sure.

[PanHanNE]

I think about the only thing I can say is that neither of them are ruby-throated. Note the rufous section on the tail in the second picture and the rufous sides in the first picture. My best guess would be immature male calliope on first bird and female broad-tailed on second bird, but it is really hard to tell for sure.

Thank you for adding your thoughts. .
As I said, having never seen a confirmed female Hummingbird, I can only go by what I read, and what others say. What I read says Bird 2 cannot be a Ruby-throated. Nor can I find anywhere that says a Broad-tailed can have an orangish/brown (rufous) head and throat, but birds don't often read what they can or can't look like. That is what makes this forum so great. People who have experience are willing to share it with us(me) who are still learning.

So that makes:
Bird 1: Two Calliope, two Ruby-throated
Bird 2: Three Rufous, one Broad-tailed.

At this rate, even though I have had what I believe to be three different species at my feeders this month, I still cannot count even one as being correctly identified and confirmed. Since I believe all we get here are migrating females and immatures, I most likely will never be able to add a Hummingbird to my life list.

This is sooo frustrating!

[notactuallytom]

If you can get multiple angles of the same bird it could probably be properly identified with a high degree of certainty.