Handy Hummer ID Tips
Okay, you've heard from the experts that it's
impossible
to separate Selasphorus hummingbirds in the field. Yet, these same
guys are sending you out to confirm the breeding status of Allen's and
Rufous Hummingbird (technically, Allen's has never been confirmed to breed
in Oregon beyond displaying males and Rufous has never been confirmed in
the southern part of its range). What's a poor field observer to do?
Here are some reliable characters that can be used with
high reliability in the field:
Displays | Plumage
| Gestalt | Other Tips
Displays
|
Allen's Hummingbird is believed to breed on the Oregon
Coast in Curry County and possibly Southern Coos County. Definitive evidence
of breeding by this species would be observation of the courtship display
on multiple days in the same approximate area. The display begins with
a series of shallow pendulum arcs followed by a single rise to perhaps
30m and a steep dive. |
|
Throughout most of Cascadia, the expected
Selasphorus
hummingbird is Rufous Hummingbird. Its display is describe in the Golden
Guide and in Peterson's Western Guide as elliptical. This is not
a particularly good description. The j-shaped dives are connected by an
upward return, but the shape of this return is imprecise. It is best described
as j-shaped. The point at the bottom of each dive is more or less fixed.
By the time a Rufous Hummingbird has completed his display, he has staked
out a cylinder of air space about 30m high and 20m across. |
|
Calliope Hummingbird is a species most regualrly found in open, high
mountain areas. It has a display which is similar to
the front end of the Allen's display. Generally, pendulum arcs are broader
and there is no final dive. Calliopes are also, usually silent. |
|
Anna's Hummingbird is a recent addition to the avifauna of
the Pacific Northwest first recorded in the late 1940's in Oregon. It is the
only species which regularly overwinters and is a very early breeder (Nov-Dec
in California). Nests with eggs have been found in Oregon as early as February
in Oregon. The diving display is like the Rufous
(or the end of the Allen's). It lacks the loud "zubbing" sound that characterizes
the arc of the Rufous. The Anna's display is also typically more 2 dimensional
than the Rufous. |
Plumage Characters
One cannot assume that green-backed male Selasphorus
hummingbirds are Allen's Hummingbirds. Most Rufous Hummingbirds have some
bits of green and a few have remarkable amounts of green. Here are some
tips based on plumage characters:
1. All red-backed male Selasphorus hummingbirds
may be assumed to be Rufous Hummingbirds. Any green-backed
Selasphorus
hummingbird north or east of its expected range needs to be closely scrutized
and, where possible, captured for close examination.
2. Male Rufous Hummingbirds have a distinct notch in tail
feather #2 (the two center most feathers are #1, the next two are #2 and
so on to the outer most #5).
It is generally believed that this notch produces the distinctive
"zubbing" sound during displays. Allen's Hummingbird lacks this notch.
It should be theoretically possible to see this notch if the bird is sufficiently
close. The tail feathers of Rufous Hummingbirds for males and females are
wider than those of Allen's Hummingbirds. It is probably less reliable,
but may be possible to observe if both species are present for comparison.
Gestalt
Ooo, Gestalt. You didn't realize that birding was connected
to Jungian psychology and the collective unconscious, did you? In birding,
gestalt (or jizz) refers to qualitative, difficult to describe characters.
Jizz characters are only useful to those who have considerable experience
with both Selasphorus hummingbirds.
Allen's Hummingbirds are generally described as "seeming
smaller." They "have a shorter looking tail." Allen's seem "less aggressive,"
and "quieter." All of these descriptions may, in fact, be true, but the
degree to which they are useful depends to a large extent upon what you
want to believe. If you are pre-disposed to believe you have an Allen's
Hummingbird, it's not all that hard to convince yourself that it has unusual
characters.
Other tips
Displays | Plumage
| Gestalt | Other Tips
This page created on March 11, 1997