Can anyone identify these hummers? I at first I thought the female was a Ruby Throat but the male doesn't look like a Ruby Throat. I Googled the picture and came up with a...

TimB72 Loc: Bedford, Texas

I at first I thought the female was a Ruby Throat but the male doesn't look like a Ruby Throat. I Googled the picture and came up with a Black-Chinned hummingbird but they aren't regulars in the Bedford Texas area. Any other guesses?

(Download)

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Hard to say from the quality of the photos. They shouldn't be Ruby Throats, those are east of the Mississippi birds. If I had to guess I would say Black Chinned, which are purple throated in the right light.

MattW1 Loc: Baton Rouge

TimB72 wrote:

I at first I thought the female was a Ruby Throat but the male doesn't look like a Ruby Throat. I Googled the picture and came up with a Black-Chinned hummingbird but they aren't regulars in the Bedford Texas area. Any other guesses?

Tim,
The male is a Black-Chinned. Black-Chinned females look almost identical to female Ruby Throats, so I couldn’t say what species the female is that you captured. We get them in South Louisiana most winters. One trait they have which helps to differentiate from RT is they bob their tails when feeding.

TimB72 Loc: Bedford, Texas

MattW1 wrote:

Tim,
The male is a Black-Chinned. Black-Chinned females look almost identical to female Ruby Throats, so I couldn’t say what species the female is that you captured. We get them in South Louisiana most winters. One trait they have which helps to differentiate from RT is they bob their tails when feeding.

MattW1, Thanks for the reply. I thought that was a Black-Chinned but it came to the feeder late and I had to jump the ISO to 6400 with a shutter speed of 1/1500 to stop the action.
Tim

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Yes, the male looks like a Black-chinned. You are on the Eastern edge of their territory and the little darlings do fly.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-chinned_Hummingbird/maps-range

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Retired CPO wrote:

Hard to say from the quality of the photos. They shouldn't be Ruby Throats, those are east of the Mississippi birds. If I had to guess I would say Black Chinned, which are purple throated in the right light.

Actually, Ruby Throats are the most common hummer in Houston and I would not be supersized if they are in Bedford as well.
I am seeing them daily here right now.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

rwilson1942 wrote:

Actually, Ruby Throats are the most common hummer in Houston and I would not be supersized if they are in Bedford as well.
I am seeing them daily here right now.

I have heard that Ruby Throats have been expanding their range. I didn't know they were that far west in any numbers. That's good news, they are beautiful hummers. Maybe it's because of all the people maintaining feeders year round.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

TimB72 wrote:

I at first I thought the female was a Ruby Throat but the male doesn't look like a Ruby Throat. I Googled the picture and came up with a Black-Chinned hummingbird but they aren't regulars in the Bedford Texas area. Any other guesses?

Did they make a twirling sound while flying to and from the feeder? If they did, they are more than likely Broad Tails. They look nearly identical to the Ruby Throaded, but the flying sound is a dead giveaway. The Broad Tail can be identified from the flying sound from more than a hundred feet away and the little hummer not even visible.

mitxpic

Looks like black-chin. We have them in McKinney, Tx. the past few years. Now see them more frequently than the ruby-throats we used to get.

hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA

I've seen more black chins in my area (Corona, CA), but when used to live in Brea, CA did see a ruby throat at the feeder the apartment manager had near her door. However, this was over 20 years ago.

wjones8637 Loc: Burleson, TX

TimB72 wrote:

I at first I thought the female was a Ruby Throat but the male doesn't look like a Ruby Throat. I Googled the picture and came up with a Black-Chinned hummingbird but they aren't regulars in the Bedford Texas area. Any other guesses?

Tim - Don't always believe Google or the rest of the internet. I am in Burleson, about 20 miles south, and over the last 10+years i have only seen black chins at our feederss.

Medoitham Loc: Haslet, Texas

Here in Haslet, I have both black-chinned and ruby-throated hummers. For me they are hard to tell apart unless the light is just right on the males or the bird is perched.