ID Challenge: Greeley Hummer
The "Nunn Guy"
Dave Cameron
The "Nunn Guy"
- "Not the greatest photo, but messing with filters and light adjustments, I think it’s an Archilochus type, and given the apparently pointy rater than clubby shape of the primaries, I’d call it a Ruby-throated rather than Black-chinned. The latter may be more likely these days!"
- "It's a Black-chinned. The fact that the tail does not strongly project beyond the wingtips rules out Broad-tailed, Rufous, and a vagrant Anna's. Size is hard to judge in the field, and the gorget is the wrong shape for Calliope. You can also see the strongly curved wingtips pretty clearly, another field mark indicative of Black-chinned
- "Black-chinned. I had a bit of an advantage; I have had them nesting in my yard for the last 4 years. They've been spreading all over the front range for at least 5 years now. Lots of breeding too."
The "Nunn Guy"
- "Actually, Costa’s might be the best fit shape-wise and tail/wing length fits too. I’m unable to see 'strongly-curved wingtips.'"
The "Nunn Guy"
"Here in Phoenix, we get Anna's, Costa's, and Black-chinned as our
expected and common hummingbirds, so separation of the three is
something we deal with every day. I can tell you with certainty it's
not the two former species.
As I said in my original post, Anna's
Hummingbird always has a tail that clearly
projects well beyond the primaries when perched. Not most of the
time, but always. Your bird clearly does not- the tail appears to
end right around the wingtip, so Anna's is simply off the table.
Your bird is pretty clearly an adult male- the gorget is full and
well defined, so its shape should be textbook to whatever species it
is. Costa's has a very distinct gorget shape, with very long sides
that extend well below the neck. Instead, as we can clearly see,
especially from the last photo, the gorget makes a neat rectangle in
the chin area, indicative of Black-chinned. Of course, it's
difficult to see if the gorget extends to the face/top of head, but
I don't need to see it to know it's not there, because we already
ruled out Anna's.
There are structural differences between all three, however they
are actually a lot more subtle than you might think. I see all three
species all the time, but in the field I cannot confidently call a
female hummer based on size or bulkiness alone. And one certainly
cannot do so in the face of other conflicting field marks.
Ruby-throated, although rare, was also a bird I considered in my
original post, although I didn't mention it. However, once again
tail projection is a major indicator- Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
also have a tail that projects beyond the primaries, and is just
about the best way to confirm vagrant Black-chinned and
Ruby-throated. It's also sex-dependent- while differences in females
can be tricky and subtle, male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have
longer tails that, much like Anna's, will always project strongly
past the wingtips.
Finally, it's probably good to address the 'pointy wingtips'.
Actually, if you look carefully, what appears to be two pointy
wingtips is actually the forked tail of the hummingbird. The
wingtips are hidden under the tail, something that is pretty clear
if you follow the curve of the wing to where the tip would be in any
of the images. "
So, there we have it ... Black-chinned Hummingbird. Thanks for playing :-)
Gary Lefko, Nunn
Nicholas Komar
On Jun 22, 2020, at 10:36 AM, 'The Nunn Guy' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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The "Nunn Guy"
Tail extends longer than wings. Straight bill. Thick neck consistent with Selasphorus sp. All adds up to Broad-tailed Hummingbird, which would only be about 30 miles out of range. Costas would have slightly curved bill, thinner primaries and flared gorget.Nick KomarFort Collins COOn Jun 22, 2020, at 10:36 AM, 'The Nunn Guy' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
--Hi allI was able to photo a hummer (backlit but lightened up photos a bit) in Greeley at Josephine B Jones Park and Open Space Sunday. ID?Three photos here:Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
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The "Nunn Guy"
Next, notice the differences in structure between your bird and the
Broad-tailed. As I said before, we need to be careful when judging
structure as the bird's individual posture and feathers can greatly
influence this. However, notice that in general the Broad-tailed is very
elongated and tubular, due to the very long tail which makes up almost
half of the bird's length, while your bird and the Black-chinned have a
much shorter tail that makes up at most one third of the bird's length.
There's also a clear difference in terms of wing shape- notice how the leading edge of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird's wing is straight, where your bird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird's is curved upward towards the tail. Also noteworthy is your bird's notched tail, where Broad-tailed generally has a pointed or squared tail."
Nicholas Komar
On Jun 23, 2020, at 1:51 PM, 'The Nunn Guy' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Hi all
Last item from regarding this bird (beneath signature) ... second response back from the AZ hummer birder. I know I learned quite a bit in this exercise myself :-)Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn"I took the liberty of creating a quick comparison in photoshop which will hopefully put this bird's ID to rest. On the left is Black-chinned, then your bird, then Broad-tailed. Without even diving into specific field marks, it should be immediately apparent how similar the Black-chinned Hummingbird is to your bird in every way. In terms of plumage, that completely dark, almost black looking head with a tiny patch of white behind the eye is a classic Black-chinned look. Granted, the Broad-tailed was photographed in very different light, but I could not find a single image of a Broad-tailed where both the gorget and the rest of the head appeared completely and uniformly dark, or black, as in your bird.Next, notice the differences in structure between your bird and the Broad-tailed. As I said before, we need to be careful when judging structure as the bird's individual posture and feathers can greatly influence this. However, notice that in general the Broad-tailed is very elongated and tubular, due to the very long tail which makes up almost half of the bird's length, while your bird and the Black-chinned have a much shorter tail that makes up at most one third of the bird's length.
There's also a clear difference in terms of wing shape- notice how the leading edge of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird's wing is straight, where your bird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird's is curved upward towards the tail. Also noteworthy is your bird's notched tail, where Broad-tailed generally has a pointed or squared tail."
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On Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 11:54:19 AM UTC-6, The "Nunn Guy" wrote:Thanks for weighing in, Nick!Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org
On Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 11:48:27 AM UTC-6, Nick Komar wrote:Tail extends longer than wings. Straight bill. Thick neck consistent with Selasphorus sp. All adds up to Broad-tailed Hummingbird, which would only be about 30 miles out of range. Costas would have slightly curved bill, thinner primaries and flared gorget.Nick KomarFort Collins COOn Jun 22, 2020, at 10:36 AM, 'The Nunn Guy' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:--Hi allI was able to photo a hummer (backlit but lightened up photos a bit) in Greeley at Josephine B Jones Park and Open Space Sunday. ID?Three photos here:Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
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The "Nunn Guy"
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