Female hummer I.D.

[Mark Stackhouse <westwings at sisna dot com>]

Milton and birders,

The female hummingbird in the photo is a Black-chinned. Milton's right
on about the bill - the length, stoutness, and the slight downward drop
are perfect for Black-chinned. Our other common nester (in northern
Utah), the Broad-tailed, has a more slender, straighter, and somewhat
shorter (in proportion to the head) bill. The Calliope has an even
shorter bill than the Broad-tailed. Also, the grayish flanks are right
for a Black-chinned, both the Broad-tailed and the Calliope females show
at least some rusty color (lots in the Broad-tailed) on the flanks.
Another good clue is the rather prominent white spot behind the eye,
which is more obvious in the Black-chinned, perhaps because of the black
around the rest of the eye. The habitat, and nesting location, are also
typical of Black-chinned.

Hope this helps - female hummers are tough!

Good birding!

Mark Stackhouse
Westwings, Inc.
1432 Downington Ave.
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
tel./fax. (801) 487-9453
westwings@sisna.com


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