ID this Hummingbird?

10 years ago

Have a bunch of hummingbirds in my backyard and finally decided to get a few photos. Not certain what these guys are. My first thought was ruby throated, but these guys are a bit more colorful and closer to an orangish color. I'm in Austin if that helps. Any ideas?

Here is a link that might be useful:

This post was edited by briaustex on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 15:10

Comments (5)

briaustex
Original Author
10 years ago
Another image of a second hummingbird.

Edit: after looking at identification guides, I'm guessing this guy is a ruby-throated hummingbird. Still not certain about the first photo above. Never seen one with yellow throat markings before.

Here is a link that might be useful:

This post was edited by briaustex on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 15:45
Lynn Marie
10 years ago
It sure is pretty, whatever it is!
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linda_tx8
10 years ago
Hummingbird ID can be very confusing during migration. I'm really not good at it. I know the Black-chinned because they're here during the mating season. The Ruby-throated is fairly common during migration here. And to a lesser extent, the Rufous, because they have started to be around some in winter. One thing I found about the iridescence was in a book, Hummingbirds of Texas:

Interference is the optical process that creates iridescence in hummingbirds, much as it does to a soap bubble or a slick of oil on water. Waves of light are often distorted, which can create a spectral rainbow of colors. For this reason, the gorget can appear to be different colors, depending on the angle of refraction (that is, a male Ruby-throated's gorget can appear topaz, red, or black just with a turn of the head.

I've got a pic where the gorget of one hummingbird appears to look kind of amber to me. Whatever kind of hummingbird this one is, it's gorgeous!
briaustex
Original Author
10 years ago
I know the Black-chinned well, since they are the first to visit in the spring (usually arrive around early to mid-March here) and the purple throat is easy to spot. I can't distinguish between the female Ruby-throat and Black-chinned, though.

All of the Black-chinned hummingbirds that were visiting my yard have migrated. I counted 5 at one point, and the yard was a constant buzz of angry hummingbird chatter as they chased each other away.

Thanks, Linda. I read that juvenile Ruby-throats can appear yellow/gold, too, which would suggest that they were both Ruby-throats. I've counted four of them at one time recently. I've watched three of them circle together in a standoff until one decides which of the others to chase--very humorous to watch.

Each year I've been adding more hummingbird friendly plants because I really enjoy watching their antics.
houstontexas123
10 years ago
possibly juvenile RBT since its fall and they're migrating south.

http://www.rubythroat.org/RTHUExternalMain.html