Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Bisbee, Cochise County

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird was found and photographed by Sheri Williamson on 26 and 27 October 2015

Pending Arizona Bird Committee acceptance, this will likely represent the sixth state record, probable fifth individual, and the second banded Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Arizona.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds breed across southern Canada to extreme eastern British Columbia, winter as far north as southern Sinaloa, and are uncommon but regular migrants as far west as the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Identification of female and juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is extremely difficult due to similarity to its congener, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and different hybrid combinations. It is possible that these identification challenges contribute to the scarcity of convincing reports from Arizona.

Identification of adult males and more advanced immature males, such as this one, is more straightforward. Note graduated primary widths, inner primary emargination (notched inner primaries), narrow P10, short bill, deeply notched tail, orange-red gorget iridescence, extensive and bright green on upperparts. No signs suggestive of hybrid origin (out-of-range measurements, ambiguous primary and/or rectrix shapes, rufous in tail) were found during banding on 27 October.

26 October 2015, photo by Sheri Williamson

 

27 October 2015, photo by Sheri Williamson

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