Finally got a picture of one of my Rufous Hummingbirds using my feeder...the old Perky Pet standby. For years I tried the hummzinger feeder with only one visit that I saw. Now, I have Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds regularly visiting this feeder, though less Calliope with the Rufous dominating the feeder. This bird appears to be an immature male (hatched this year, male by the very pointy tail?). I also have an adult female Rufous hanging around, but haven't been able to get her picture. The pictures below aren't the best as my wife actually snapped them through a window. She has better luck getting their pics than I do!

Getting the sweet stuff



Checking out the goldfinches on the feeder to the right and above the hummer feeder.



Jeff

Jeff,

Pointy tail isn't always useful in distinguishing young males from females (the immature tail feathers are much alike between the sexes). However, from this picture, I'd say it's an easy call that it's a male, because with the tail folded up like this, only the centermost tail feathers (what in ornithological terms are Retrices #1, left and right) are visible, and they're rufous-brown.

On a female, those central tail feathers are predominantly green, so there is very little brown showing in the tail when it's folded in; you only see the rufous in the tail when it's spread. Those central tail feathers are the easiest way to distinguish a young male from a female of any age.

So even though you say these pictures "aren't the best", they're in fact very good for identifying what the bird is. Congrats!

Kevin Morgan
Baton Rouge, LA

Thanks, Kevin. That is interesting and good to know. I didn't know that both immature sexes had similar shaped tails, but the info on the rufous showing in the central retrices is a good ID tip. Since I get mostly immature first year birds in my yard on migration, with very few adult females and very rarely an adult male, ID'ing the immatures to sex is very handy.

Jeff

He's quite the looker.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9