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.
Til Next time,
