Just left Nancy's house with pictures of her first of fall rufous trapped in her yard. 'Pauli' is an immature male named after a friend of Nancy's who gave her a great Turk's cap hybrid that has come to be known as Monster Turk's cap. The plant has reached about 12 feet tall so far. In the pictures you can see the slight indentation at the tip of tail feather R2. R5-4-3 have white tips, the next one is R2. In an adult the notch is more pronounced.







Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Thanks for the great ID photos!! Whats going on with his head, I assume its a digital mistake?

Pam NJ 6B

Joan those are excellent photos. In answer to Pam's question regarging the markings on his head, I would have to say that that is Nancy's color marking so that first of all she can tell at a glance that he has been banded.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Actually, Pam, the salmon-orange spot is my color-mark, made of water-soluble Liquid Paper colored with artist's pigment. The mark is temporary, but it can last several months or it can be lost promptly if the crown feathers are molted out. A federal permit is required to mark birds in this manner. However unsightly it is to see these painted up birds, the technique has proven to be extremely valuable for my study.

For purposes of the winter study, the color spots give each bird an individual identity. Often, the hosts think they may have 2 or 3 birds and by marking, we can determine 6-8 individuals. If the bird moves to a different site, it will be more noticeable. I am permitted for 7 colors and can also make stripes rather than spots to give me more individual color-marks. This is useful for yards that host 20-30 individuals.

For those who may be puzzled by Joan's reference to the feathers by number, R stands for rectrix [plural is rectrices] the technical name for the tail feathers. Hummers have 5 pairs, numbered from the middle pair R1 [right and left] to the outermost pair R5 [right and left]. Shapes and measurements of the wing [primaries] and tail [rectrices] enable us to distinguish among different species that may be very similar in appearance.

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Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

Oh my, y'all are having all the fun! Am so happy for both of you Nancy and Joan. Love the salmon color marking on this one...as for if a bird with your color marking moves to another state...well guess who would want it in hers???

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

We are having fun! It's the winter games now. The temporary mark is also helpful if you are trying to catch another bird and a marked bird goes in the cage, you can let him fly in and out without recapturing needlessly. Also if the bird travels to another location another bander might try to capture it because they notice the mark so they can report the location and conditon of the bird to the federal government who then contacts the initial bander.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9