Black-chinned X Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri x Selasphorus platycercus), Flagstaff, Coconino County

This Black-chinned X Broad-tailed Hummingbird was found by Chuck LaRue and photographed by Jason Wilder on 03 September 2015

Black-chinned X Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a rare and seldom documented hybrid.

This adult male hummingbird shows a combination of characters found in both parental species. The bright gorget is intermediate in color between Black-chinned and Broad-tailed, with a distribution on the throat more extensive than Black-chinned but less so than Broad-tailed. The tail shows a trace of rufous edging and the flanks have some rufous both consistent with Broad-tailed parentage. The very narrow and pointed P10 and flaring tip to P9 are similar to the feather shapes observed previously in this hybrid combination. Could be confused with an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but note the field marks mentioned above and the less forked tail.

03 September 2015, photo by Jason Wilder

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer