One little tail feather …
I’ve gotten into the habit of taking my camera out in the backyard (Sierra Vista, AZ) every morning to the tree where I’ve seen hummingbirds. Wednesday morning I captured a few images of one that was definitely not the Broad-billed, Black-chinned, or Anna’s Hummingbirds that I normally see.
It’s most likely a Rufous Hummingbird, as they are known to be migrating through our area of the country this time of year.
The dilemma for me is that there have also been a few reports of Allen’s or Allen’s/Rufous hybrids in our area … and since I’ve never verified that I’ve seen an Allen’s on my own life list, of course that’s what I’d like for this to be. 😎
What I’m learning is that with female and immature hummingbirds it’s very difficult (bordering on impossible) to definitively differentiate Rufous vs. Allen’s.
Apparently it’s all about the tail feathers.
Unfortunately, I didn’t really capture any high quality images of this bird’s tail. The image above, and the one below are literally all I had on my SD card.
The good (or maybe bad) news is that even if I did have better quality images of the tail, I probably still wouldn’t be able to say for sure. It all comes down to the shape and size (or absence) of a notch in the R2 (second tail feather from the center). I can’t really tell from either of my images. I’d like to say that I see no evidence of notch, which might indicate Allen’s.
But that’s probably just wishful thinking.
If nothing else, this is a good excuse to keep getting the camera out every morning in hopes that I can capture a shot or ten that provide better evidence one way or another.
Update: same bird, one day later. Slight better pictures, but still no good look at the tail feathers.
Til Next time,
we have Anna’s and Rufous here… such beautiful birds.
We love them regardless!