[cobirds] FW: Hummingbird identification question

Hi, group—

Thanks to the folks who responded to my request for help in IDing a hummingbird at Greenwood Wildlife Rehab Center. Kudos to those who said Broad-tailed Hummingbird! For those who were uncertain, as we were—here's a reply from Sheri Williamson with some good links and ID tips. Thanks to all who offered an opinion.

Tina Mitchell
Lakewood, CO

-----Original Message-----
From: Sheri L. Williamson [mailto:sheri@fieldguidetohummingbirds.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2015 1:46 AM
To: Mitchell, Christina
Subject: Re: Hummingbird identification question

Hi, Tina,

This is indeed a challenging ID. Juvenile Broad-tailed is correct, and a male which likely accounts for much of the confusion. General field guides just don't have room to illustrate the many details that are important in hummingbird ID, and the variability in Broad-tailed and similarities to the other Selasphorus makes it a particularly challenging species in female and juvenile male plumages. As is so often the case with members of the "bee" group of hummingbirds, the shapes and patterns of the tail feathers are what really cinches the ID, so I'm glad you and the photographer were able to capture that.

You'll find a number of pertinent resources in my Hummingbirds album on Flickr:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjjnMwPk

I've also created galleries with other Flickr users' photos illustrating ID issues with several common species, including Broad-tailed and Calliope:

https://flic.kr/y/jkd7Rq
https://flic.kr/y/jkdEpG

Of course, there's much more detail in the Peterson Field Guide to Hummingbirds, including side-by-side comparisons of heads and tails.

Thanks for the work you do for wildlife, and good luck with your tiny patient.

Sheri L. Williamson
Bisbee, Arizona
sheri@fieldguidetohummingbirds.com
Web site: http://www.fieldguidetohummingbirds.com
Blog: http://fieldguidetohummingbirds.wordpress.com
A Field Guide to Hummingbirds: http://bit.ly/FG2HBs

On 8/5/2015 8:55 PM, Tina Mitchell wrote:
> From: Tina Mitchell <christina.mitchell@ucdenver.edu>
>
> Message Body:
> Hi, Sherri--
>
> I'm a volunteer at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lyons,
> CO and
> we have a female/juvenile hummingbird that doesn't quite seem to fit the > Sibley description for a Calliope Hummingbird (p. 296) but also does fit it > in some ways. Our alternate thought is that it is a juvenile Broad-tailed > Hummingbird, but it also doesn't seem exactly right for that.
>
> We don't see many Calliopes or juvenile Broad-taileds (especially the challenging
> non-adult-males) at
> the center> So, since a photographer was on the premises, we asked her to take photos, > hoping that someone could confirm the ID. You can find photos here (the first > 14): https://www.flickr.com/photos/ztsipapu/ .
>
> We'd really like learn what is "signal" and what is "noise" with this bird.
> So any help you can give with specifics would be greatly appreciated.
> In case
> it might help to see how we're thinking (and possibly going astray in IDing > the bird), I've included a few of the thoughts we've had.
>
> Points that make us think it might be a Calliope (based on Sibley's
> drawings)
>
> 1.Its small size, compared to the Broad-taileds we currently have on the premises
> 2.Very little rufous on the tail
> 3.Green crown and back
> 4.Short tail
> 5.A white spot behind the eye
> 6.White spots on the tail may match the pattern in Sibley
>
> 7.Wing noise is unlike the other 3 likely species (Broad-tailed, Black-chinned, Rufous)
>
> Points that make us wonder.
>
> 1. It doesn't has a "uniform pale buffy" underside. 2. We couldn't
> clearly discern the "spatulate center [tail] feathers," although we
> tried to get some photos of the tail. (The tail photos aren't the
best. Those feathers are a bit ragged at this point. And I'm not used to trying to display tail feathers without manhandling such a tiny creature.)
> 3. The wingtips don't seem to reach a bit beyond the tail, as Sibley
> suggests.Although with a possible wing injury, the bird might be holding them a bit oddly.
> 4. No "thin white line over gape' 5. The spotting on the throat goes
> further toward the chin than Sibley shows.
It looks more gray and light in the drawing, while the bird's spotting looks distinct and green.
>
> The bird was found in Fraser, CO, if that makes any difference.
> (Yes, that's right—14. We obsessed a bit, hoping at least 1 or 2
> would be useful.)
>
> Tina Mitchell
> Lakewood, CO
>
> --
> This e-mail was sent from a contact form on Sheri L. Williamson
> (http://www.fieldguidetohummingbirds.com)
>
>

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