ML32935211

Age and sex

Immature Male - X

Media notes

This likely second-year male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 19 August 2016 at Wilderness Glen Park, Mission Viejo, Orange County, California. This bird, found earlier in the day by Ryan Winkleman, provided the first record of the species for Orange County.

Observation details

Although similar to the wing-trills of Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds, this bird's wing-trill was immediately distinctive, potentially a result of its somewhat higher frequency. The calls given on occasion were somewhat "tinny" chips that were reminiscent of the calls of Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds, yet maybe even somewhat thinner and more "tinny." Given that we typically saw this bird under shaded conditions, it was difficult to notice some of the iridescent colors in its plumage. The forehead was dark from the base of the upper mandible to the forecrown, from which the crown, nape, back, scapulars, and rump were a deep, iridescent blue-green in coloration and without any pattern apparent. The face pattern was relatively inconspicuous, yet it appeared to include a paler region in the lores with in which there was a darker spot right in front of the eye, and a small but relatively conspicuous spot of white just behind the eye that I thought appeared more semicircular than crescent -shaped. I further noted a narrow band of white coloration that extended across the immediate chin and back along the lower part of the face through the malar region and under the eye to narrowly demarcate the gorget. Under most conditions the gorget appeared to be entirely black from just below the chin down to the junction of the throat and breast and then out to the outer corners of the throat. This bird's gorget did not seem to have the long wings that are typical of Anna's and Costas Hummingbirds, but instead the gorget was broader and more compact. When the sun hit the gorget just right it revealed a deep, pinkish-red iridescence that was neither the fire-red color that is typical of the other Selasphorus nor the conspicuously pink color that is typical of Anna's Hummingbird. The lower edge of the gorget was sharply demarcated by a white band or crescent that extended across the upper breast. I nevertheless thought this crescent was a bit diffuse along its lower border, with the center of the breast and belly seemingly a light gray in coloration. This bird's flanks were pretty conspicuously marked with a dark greenish or olive iridescence that appeared to have an uneven pattern that seemed to reflect dark-centered feathers that had paler edges as opposed to a smooth wash of color. The area on what I suspect was the basal undertail-coverts just behind the legs was fluffy and white, appearing almost cotton-like, but the remaining undertail-coverts had a dingy and somewhat uneven appearance. The underside of the tail typically appeared quite dark, but also with small tips of whitish to light gray on at least two or possibly three pairs of outer rectrices. Contrasting with the deep-green color of the back and the dark flanks, the visible remiges appeared to be dark brown. I further noted what appeared to be a moderate amount of where on the tips of the longest primaries. I typically saw this bird either from below or from the side, so my views of the upperside of the tail were much of the time less than ideal. I was able to see that the central rectrices were mostly if not entirely a deep green in coloration. The remaining rectrices appeared to be mostly black, yet with a pretty conspicuous edge of rufous on the outer webs of at least two and possibly more of the feathers. I further noted that this edge was most conspicuous on what I thought were the second and third pairs of feathers, but is entirely possible they were also on the outer several rectrices. I also noted from above that at least two and probably three outer pairs of feathers had whitish to light gray tips that appeared to be largest on the outer pair of feathers and progressively smaller as one moved inward. As far as I could determine, the bill was entirely black, the eyes were so dark as to appear black, and what I could see of the legs and feet were quite dark, though not necessarily black.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

800

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/320 sec

Dimensions

1812 pixels x 1226 pixels

Original file size

755.71 KB