Oh sweet hummingbirds! Once they finished painting our house a couple weeks ago I was able to put up my hummingbird feeders at our new home! We had seen a glimpse of one prior to getting the feeders up so I was really anxious to get them up to see if we did have some local resident hummers. Well let me tell you it took just one day, and they found both feeders! And they have been here everyday since! One feeder is outside our bedroom window and off the back porch, the other is off the dining room window. The first morning of feeding began right at 7:00, I thought "how sweet", the next morning they were here at 5:30 am- 15 minutes before J's alarm goes off- he was actaully cursing the little things, not so sweet anymore- they have been arriving every morning since at 5:30- I am used to it now and I think J is too. We have two pairs I believe and I think they are pretty young cause the males don't look fully colored yet. It was such a surprise that they could be so loud. We had daily hummers at our place in Portland too but they didn't make half as much noise as these guys. Once I started watching them I relaized they are a differeent species of hummingbird. In Portland we had Anna's visit us regularly, I even rescured one once! But here in Bend we have Rufous regulars- so I began to wonder the differences between the two- other than color and obviously sound and here is what I discovered...
Female Rufous...
Male Rufous...
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)
Often described as "feisty," the Rufous may have the ideal size-to-weight ratio among North American hummingbirds. This bird outflies all other species, and usually gets its way at feeders at the expense of slower, less-maneuverable hummers. The Rufous has the longest migration route of all US hummingbirds.
Physical DescriptionAverage weight: male 3.22 g, female 3.41 g. Females are larger than males.
PlumageAdult male: Non-iridescent rufous crown, tail, and sides; back may be rufous, green , or some of each; bright orange-red gorget, white breast. Green-backed Rufous cannot be reliably separated from Allen's in the field without extensive experience and a good view of the spread tailfeathers through a scope.Adult female: Green back and crown, white breast, streaked throat, rufous sides and base of tail feathers, white tips on outer tail feathers. Very similar to female Allen's and Broad-tailed.
DistributionObserved in every state and province except Hawaii, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. There was even one very unusual report from extreme eastern Siberia! The Rufous is the most widely-distributed hummingbird in North America. Winters in Mexico and possibly Panama.
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Anna's is the most common hummingbird in southern California, and one of only three species that are permanent residents of the US or Canada (Allen's and Costa's are the others). Unlike most other hummers, Anna's has a (minimal) song.
Physical DescriptionAverage weight: male 4.31 g, female 4.07 g. The Anna's is the largest hummingbird seen on the west coast.
PlumageAdult male: Metallic green back, dark rose-red crown and gorget, grayish breast.Adult female: Green back, grayish-white breast, white throat with some red spots, white tips on outer tail feathers.Juveniles: Young of both sexes look like the adult female, but may have unmarked throats.
DistributionObserved in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and British Columbia (resident on Vancouver Island).
I was unsuccessful at my uploads of male and female anna's pictures...but if you are interested please visit www.hummingbirds.net and you can learn more just like I did!
Now I understand what all the noise is about- feisty critters! Well I love having regular humming visitors, they are such a joy to watch! I encourage all of you to take the time to feed some hummingbirds!
