ML45025151

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Shortly after lunch, we were driving pretty close to the Pacific coast near Juan Hombron when we found a hummingbird feeding in a Saman tree (or Rain Tree - Samanea saman) and neither our guide nor any of the other participants could identify it. Susan (my wife) managed to get some photos of the hummer though it remained relatively high in the tree. We noticed the following on the hummer: -size - small to medium (3.5 - 4 inches)   -bright hot pink bill with a black tip, broad-based   -dark green head and back with a dark throat   -white post-ocular spot   -white chest with abrupt border with dark throat; rufous lower breast/upper belly; lighter (grayish or whitish) lower belly & undertail coverts (latter from photos only)   -very prominent white leg “boots”   -rufous tail with hint of darker terminal band (looks like on the photos that it’s only the central rectrices)   -rufous mixed with green upper tail coverts & rump (from the photos only) It wasn't until after we returned to Indiana that I did some research on the hummingbird and realized that it wasn't any of the Panamanian species but rather one that was probably 500 miles from its normal range of coastal Ecuador and Peru. I have been in touch with Sarah Cowles (see: http://sarahacowles.weebly.com/speciation-in-amazilia-hummingbirds.html), a graduate student at the University of Miami who has done some research on the different subspecies of Amazilia amazilia (including alticola, which she thinks is a subspecies of A. a. rather than a distinct species, i.e., Loja Hummingbird).  She thinks the Panamanian bird is likely A. amazilia leucophoea but could potentially be an intergrade between leucophoea and dumerilii. Geoge Angehr kindly looked in the American Museum of Natural History at specimens of the different subspecies of A. amazilia (amazilia, dumerilii, leucophoea, and alticola) as well as of A. tzacatl and, based on the fairly large white breast patch, distinct white postocular spot, very heavy booted legs, and extensive rufous on the tail, utc's, with little contrast with the back, that the Panamanian bird is of the subspecies leucophoea.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

ISO

100

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/400 sec

Dimensions

900 pixels x 670 pixels

Original file size

327.73 KB