Hummingbirds of South Englishtown, Toledo, Belize

Since we put up our first hummingbird feeder in September of 2013 (read about it here), we have witnessed a remarkable insurgence of hummingbirds all around our property.  We started with just one feeder off the front veranda after we had seen a female ruby throated hummer visit the hibiscus in front of the cabana.  We knew it must have recently arrived from North America and that it would winter around here or perhaps fly even farther south.  It didn't take long at all for the little female to start feeding on the sugar-water nectar we provided.  We eventually saw juvenile male ruby throats that year (check it out here) and adult males the following year.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds - they started it all here in Englishtown.

The resident cinnamon hummingbirds didn't know what to make of the hummingbird feeders, but kept a close eye on the ruby throats.  The cinnamons made attempts to feed, but it took them a while to figure out how to get the nectar.  But once they learned, there was no going back. Soon they even learned how to sit on the perches while feeding.

We soon added more feeders off the back veranda (see it here).  The new feeders were positioned much better for photography and I was able to get decent shots of cinnamon hummers (here), rufous-tailed hummers (here), and green-breasted mango hummers (here).  So the migrant ruby-throats, that are so used to feeders in the US, taught the resident cinnamons to use the feeders and soon the resident rufous-tails and green-breasted mangos also learned.  They are smart little birds!

I don't know about you, but I can never have too many hummingbirds, so here are some newer photos.

Female green-breasted mango hummingbird.  She has a white-tipped tail and white underparts with a distinctive irregular  teal-green stripe down the midline.  Can't mistake her for anyone else!

Females and males have black, decurved bills. 

Just look at that teal-green stripe!  It just looks dark, almost black, when it is not reflecting light.  It is a challenge to capture this coloration; I was quite happy to get this shot!

You can just make out some of the bronze-colored tail feathers here.  But look at how dull and black looking the mid-line stripe is from this angle.  You would never suspect how gorgeous it can be.

The male green-breasted mango hummingbirds are a little more skittish than the females, so I had to stay a little farther away and really crop the photos.

You can see how the color changes from head to tail, getting a little more golden toward the tail.  And you can just see the edge of the coppery tail feathers.

Just look at that color on the breast!  Such a magnificent teal next to emerald green.

The tail feathers are dark copper with transmitted light.

Look at the magenta iridescence of the tail when the sun shines on it!

I still have some work to do for better photos; gives me something to strive for.  :-)  I am going to rig up a little blind/hide close to the feeders at the right orientation to the sun and spend some time just waiting to get the right shots.

I also am playing with flash to try to get the iridescence.  Here is a flash photo of a rufous-tailed hummer.

Rufous-tailed hummingbird.  I think this is either a female or a juvenile.  The sexes are very similar in this species, although the adult males tend to be a bit more intensely colored.

I like how it turned out, except for the feeder being in the way.  But I think I am onto something. 

Hummer Wars!

As promised in my last post, here are photos of hummingbirds fighting over access to our feeders.

This first series is between a Cinnamon (perched) and a Rufous-tailed that is trying to drive it off.   And then comes a Green-Breasted Mango to get in on the action.  The Cinnamon just hunkers down and stays put, after giving the Green-Breasted Mango a word or two!

Looks like the Cinnamon senses the Green-Breasted Mango off to the left.

"Hey!  I was here first.  Wait your turn!"

"That's right.  You had better back off!"

"Just get on out of here."

Now the fight is between a Rufous-tailed and a Green-Breasted Mango.  Lots of displaying and posturing.

'Round and 'round they go until the Green-Breasted Mango goes for the nectar.

This calls for reinforcements!

"The big guy won't have a chance with both of us Rufous-tails here."

"Where'd he go?"

Time out for a quick drink on both sides.

"Go away.  I'm not finished yet."

Now the 2 Rufous-tails fight each other once the Green-Breasted Mango has gone.

My favorite ones to watch are the little Ruby-throated hummingbirds.  They are small but fiesty!

They must have watched Stars Wars and The Matrix too many times...

Dedicated on this Mothers' Day to my Mother, who loved hummingbirds and never tired of watching them.

Hummingbird Update - Part Three

The dashing Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is today's featured hummingbird.  Below is the first photo I took of it before I had even ID'd it.

Not the best shot, but enough to let us know that it is not a Cinnamon.

The Rufous-tails are essentially the same size as the Cinnamon Hummingbirds that also feed on these hibiscus flowers.  

Easy to see here how it differs from the Cinnamon; the Rufous-tails are mostly green on the front with a little grey on the belly and amazing white "femoral tufts" (fuzzy feathers on their legs), whereas the Cinnamons are, well, cinnamon colored on their fronts.

Rufous-tailed hummingbirds are the most common and widespread hummer in Belize, but we were never able to see them long enough to photograph them or recognize them until we had feeders up.  They nectar on banana and coffee bean flowers, both of which are cultivated on large and small scales throughout Central America.  Check out one of my earlier posts about banana flowers.

Here is a good view of the green gorget and upper chest and paler grey-green belly.

It took them longer to start using the feeders than it did the Cinnamon Hummingbirds.  And of course the experienced Ruby-throats, newly migrated from the abundant feeders in the US, were the ones that showed the Cinnamons what a feeder was all about. 

Heads up!  Ever on alert for danger or competition.

Rufous-tails have a reputation as being the most aggressive of the Belize hummers. I have seen them chase off the larger Green-breasted Mangoes and they are known to chase off insects and basically anything that approaches "their" feeder.  

From this vantage, you can see the lower mandible is red and the upper is black.

They even stand their ground against us as we tend to our outdoor activities.  They back off from the feeder and face us, chattering and fussing to persuade us to leave.  If we continue to work outside, they are the first hummers to resume feeding and basically ignore us unless we get within 5 or 10 feet of the feeder.

The tip of both lower and upper mandibles is black.  This is a fairly common theme in hummingbirds, but can still be a useful tool for IDs.

This next photo is very similar to the last photo is the previous post.

This Rufous-tail looks a lot like a Cinnamon from this angle, but notice that there is no cinnamon color on the side of the neck and the overall green color is darker on the Rufous-tail.

From the front there is no confusing the two.

Look at the gorgeous emerald green gorget sparkling in the sunlight!

There are reports of hybridization between Cinnamons and Rufous-tails, but I haven't seen images of the offspring.  For all I know, some of these are photos of hybrids.  Hybridization is pretty common within the hummingbirds and can make it difficult, but quite interesting, to ID individuals.

When the gorget catches the light just right, it lights up with a spectacular iridescence.

An impressive display, even out of focus.

Rufous-tails are very determined feeders and put on incredible acrobatic antics when defending their feeder from other hummers, even from other Rufous-tails.

Steely-eyed determination ...

The striking Green-Breasted Mango will be featured next, so stay tuned.