Photo Quiz 10

I assume this bird is a calliope hummingbird. I can tell by the buff sides and spots on the throat.

Never assume Will. 😀
Buffy sides but not extensive enough for Rufous or Allen’s. Short bill also rules out both. Note the lack of a defined neck and the short, stocky build.
Unless it’s some tropical species, I could go with Calliope on this one. It appears too buffy for a Costa’s. I could be wrong though. A look at the tail would help a bit.

Calliope Hummingbird

I would say it’s a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. The Calliope prefers mountain pine forests. The Ruby-Throated is much more common then the Calliope. The wings of the Calliope are much longer then the Ruby-Throated.

John S., the habitat preference is only true on the breeding range. Also, Ruby-throated and Calliope do not live anywhere near each other. Both are dirt common within their respective ranges. Since Calliope Hummingbirds frequently visit low elevation feeders during migration, and not knowing where this photo was taken (although the tree appears to be a Mesquite or Acacia of some kind) we cannot use habitat to ID the bird. Therefore we must use the field marks. First off, this bird is far too chunky to be a Ruby-throated and the bill is too short. Second, it is far too… Read more »

I would also like to point out that this bird is very chunky looking. Even more so than a Calliope might be. If the angle were better and I could see the true length of the bill, I could tell for sure, but this bird could very well be a female Broad-tailed as well. A closer examination of the upper tail coverts would be nice. Like I said, I can’t go 100% Calliope but neither can I go 100% Broad-tailed. The buffy sides look wrong for Calliope but there’s something wrong for Broad-tailed too. Could be just me. It appears… Read more »