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Ruby-throated hummingbird
Range is a good first clue in summer. This is the widespread breeding hummingbird across much of eastern North America. A male’s red throat can look black until he turns into the light. On the pictured female, look for the pale throat and the white tips at the corners of the tail.
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Black-chinned hummingbird
Look for a narrow violet strip along the bottom of an adult male’s dark throat. It flashes in the right light. Pale-throated females are harder to separate from Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, so begin with the range and look for the Black-chinned bird’s relatively long bill and frequent tail movement while hovering.
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Anna's hummingbird
An adult male’s rosy color covers the crown and throat. A female can have just a few pinkish throat feathers, sometimes forming a small central patch. On the Pacific Coast, Anna’s can also be present in winter, so a bird that turns up after other species have moved south is worth another look.
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Costa's hummingbird
The male’s violet throat feathers hang in long points at the sides. Look for those points and the violet crown, rather than judging hue from a quick flash. Females have a pale throat and can be harder to place, so a compact shape and a desert setting in the Southwest are useful clues together.
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Rufous hummingbird
Many adult males have orange backs as well as orange sides, though some backs are green. Females and young birds can look almost the same as Allen’s. Broad outer feathers on a spread tail support Rufous. If the bird keeps its tail closed and the ranges overlap, leaving the identification open is reasonable.
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Allen's hummingbird
Think of the coastal Pacific strip in the breeding season. Males typically have a green back and orange along the sides and tail. Females and immature birds are difficult to separate from Rufous. A sharply seen spread tail is more useful than orange flanks, since Allen’s has narrower outer tail feathers.
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Broad-tailed hummingbird
In the Rocky Mountains, listen for a bright, metallic trill as a male flies past. His wings can make that sound, giving you a clue even when you can’t see the pink throat. On a perched bird, notice how the tail extends past the wingtips. Mountain habitat makes a useful starting point.
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Calliope hummingbird
A male can flash separate magenta streaks rather than one solid throat patch. Look for the tiny body and short tail on a female or young bird, which can show peach-colored underparts. The silhouette is useful when a western mountain bird is too far away for you to see every throat feather.
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Broad-billed hummingbird
In southeastern Arizona and nearby areas, a male’s reddish bill with a dark tip and its blue throat make a strong combination. The pictured female is much plainer, with grayish underparts and a white line behind the eye. A little red may show at the base of the bill.
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Buff-bellied hummingbird
This is a South Texas hummingbird that also turns up along the Gulf Coast. A red bill with a dark tip can recall a Broad-billed Hummingbird. Look for the rusty tail and warm buff belly, especially when the green throat falls into shadow.
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Violet-crowned hummingbird
The white throat is one of the best clues, even when the violet crown looks dark. Both sexes have clean white underparts and a roughly straight reddish bill with a dark tip. Put those clues together when checking for the species in the far Southwest.
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Rivoli's hummingbird
This large hummingbird visits wooded canyons of the Southwest. Adult males can show a violet crown and a turquoise-green throat, though they often look dark in the shade. A female’s small white spot behind the eye and long bill can be more useful than waiting for a flash of color.
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Blue-throated mountaingem
Watch for a large grayish hummingbird with white facial lines and white on the outer tail. Those clues hold even when the blue throat of an adult male stays in shadow. They also help separate a female, which lacks the blue throat, from a similarly large Rivoli’s Hummingbird in Southwestern canyons.
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Lucifer sheartail
Often called the Lucifer Hummingbird, this Southwestern visitor has a slender bill that curves downward. That curve can show even on a pale female. The adult male’s deeply forked tail and bright throat add useful clues when you’re looking at a perched bird.
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White-eared hummingbird
Look for the broad white stripe behind the eye. It shows on both sexes, including a paler female with speckling below. The species reaches the mountains of the far Southwest from Mexico. Start with the bold head pattern if you get a brief side view.
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