Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin), Tubac, Santa Cruz County

This Allen's Hummingbird was found and photographed by Bill Lisowsky on 14 July 2017

Rare but regular fall migrant in SE Arizona.

Separation of Rufous and Allen's hummingbirds can be extremely challenging. R2, the second tail feather (rectrix) from the center on each side, is an important distinction between the two species, in that the tip is emarginated more strongly in Rufous, weakly or not at all in Allen's. Other rectrices, especially R4 and R5 (the outer two rectrices), are narrower in Allen's than in Rufous.

14 July 2017, photo by Bill Lisowsky

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