Rufous Hummingbirds
(click on a photo to enlarge)
We now have upwards of 50 hummingbirds visiting the feeders. Among them are numerous Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) — more than I ever imagined would be here. They now outnumber our most common hummingbird, the Black-chinned, by about 4 to 1. They’re everywhere and they have an “attitude.”
An Immature Rufous Guarding a Feeder
A pugnacious and colorful little bird, the Rufous Hummingbird endures the longest migration of any of the other North American species traveling from its wintering grounds in south central Mexico and the Gulf Coast to nesting areas as far north as southern coastal Alaska. They began arriving at our feeders the first week in August. The Black-chinned hummers had some adjusting to do as they pretty much had the feeders all to themselves all summer. The Rufous Hummingbird is both aggressive and territorial at feeders. However, with the large number of migrants we’re experiencing this year (more than usual according to the local reports) the birds seem to have too much competition to be able to dominate a feeder. It’s not uncommon to find eight individuals of mixed speces at a feeder, sometimes more, all sipping nectar and tolerating each other nicely. Not that the occasional head poke from behind doesn’t occur!
Immature Male Taking a Momentary Feeder Break
There is another member of the same genus, Selasphorus, the Allen’s Hummingbird (S. sasin) that so closely resembles the Rufous that they’re nearly impossible to tell apart, especially the juveniles and females. Even the males can be consfuing as a small percentage of Rufous males resemble male Allen’s. So, unless you see a completely copper-backed male Rufous, you really can’t be sure what species you’re seeing. So, the correct way to refer to them is Rufous/Allen’s or Selasphorus species. If you’re lucky enough to get a really good tail view (a photo or video is the easiest way to see this) you will see that the female Rufous has a notch seen in two of her tail feathers. In the photo below, you can see one notch in the first all-black tail feather just after the one with the small white tip. This is repeated on the same feather on the other side.
Female Showing Notched Tail Feather
The male Rufous is a sight to behold with his coppery feathers and brilliant red-orange gorget. The few adult males here are far outnumbered by immature birds, which is usually the case at this time of the year.
Male Rufous Hummingbird (above and below)
Most hummingbirds don’t feed exclusively on nectar. The young in a nest are fed insects because they need the high protein diet to develop properly and quickly. If you watch a perched hummingbird, you’ll notice that it darts out and back to its perch as it hawks for tiny insects. Flower nectar is also very attractive to them and hummingbirds are important pollinators for many species, especially plants with tubular flowers. Below, a Rufous visits California Fuschia (Epilobium canum) for some natural nectar.
An Immature Rufous Visiting California Fuschia
In future posts we’ll finish up the hummingbird species not covered thus far: Anna’s, Broad-tailed, Black-chinned and an update on our two Lucifers which have now been at our feeders for over two weeks!
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