Now updated by a new post Progress on the Orange-throated hummingbird mystery. This adds to my previous post about orange-throated hummingbirds.
After hearing from a couple of hummingbird banders affirming that they do not see a change in throat color in the fall as male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds go though their summer molt (and the fact that banders have been aware of this molt for many years) I will have to modify my previous post suggesting that the birds molt into an orange-throated nonbreeding plumage. It was a very neat and simple hypothesis, explaining all of the data that I had, but it looks like it’s a “just-so story”.
In addition, it appears that there may not be a connection between the occasional orange-throated males seen in late summer (before molt, according to the hummingbird banders) and the orange-throated winter specimens at MCZ (after molt).
An orange-throated male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photographed in CT, 11 July 2011, copyright Mark Szantyr.
In July 2011, Mark Szantyr photographed this male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with an orange throat in Connecticut, and has allowed me to post a couple of his photos of that bird here as part of this discussion. You can see the rest of the photos and more at Mark’s website.
An orange-throated male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photographed in CT, 11 July 2011, copyright Mark Szantyr.
The date of this orange-throated bird – 11 July – is too early for it to have completed molt. Dittmann and Cardiff found the peak of molt in mid-July through August, with throat feathers molted throughout the period but the throat generally in the later stages of molt for any individual bird. This individual also doesn’t show the drab fringes on the gorget feathers that are apparent on the MCZ specimens, instead it seems to have a brilliant and uniform orange gorget.
This shift to orange color is presumably the result of a slight alteration in the structure of the gorget feathers, so that they reflect very slightly shorter wavelengths of light. I still doubt that it has anything to do with wear, for two main reasons: 1) if this was caused by wear I would expect to see a lot more such birds in late summer, but they are extremely rare. 2) If this was caused by wear I would expect the throat to be less uniform in color, as wear would not affect all the feathers precisely the same way. (Update 16 August – apparently an orange shift can be the result of wear, see my later post)
The brilliant iridescent throat color is produced by tiny air bubbles that are prefectly calibrated in thickness to reflect a certain wavelength of light. A shift to more orange color would require a slight thinning (or collapse) of the air bubbles on the order of nanometers… maybe that could happen as the feathers age, but again I would expect that effect to be more uneven (with some feathers still reflecting red) and more common.
My suspicion is that this bird molted into these feathers in the spring, and has been the same color since then. In that case orange-throated hummingbirds should show up during spring migration. All of the reports I have heard have come from late summer and fall, but maybe that’s just the season when most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are seen and studied. Have orange-throated birds like this ever been seen in spring? (Update 16 August – orange shift can be caused by wear, see my later post, but it’s also possible that some birds begin the summer with more orange feathers, so still worth watching for orange-throated males in spring).
The drabber and more orange-toned throat color of the MCZ specimens remains a mystery. I’ll continue to check museum collections as I am able, and I’d be very grateful for any info from others. It would also be helpful to know if observers who see this species on the wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America see this variation in throat color in real life.
Thanks to Mark Szantyr for the photos, and to Cathie Hutcheson and Scott Weidensaul for comments.
Related posts and pages:
- Progress on the orange-throated hummingbird mystery Thanks to Sheri Williamson (author of the Peterson Field Guide to Hummingbirds) and her recent...
- The mystery of the orange-throated hummingbirds An orange-throated male Ruby-throated Hummingbird seen in late August 2009 in Virginia. Photograph copyright Masaharu...
- The annual plumage cycle of a male American Goldfinch Molt is the process of feather replacement. All birds do it; they have to grow...
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Interesting story. I have had the most R-t Hmbd’s ever, including a male that has staked out a territory in our backyard. The sheer numbers are incredible for Margate, N.J.– a barrier island. We have had multiple males and females, as well as immatures at the feeders and Agastache.
Some of the males appear to have partial or complete orange throats, but this seems light-dependent.
Marvin Hyett
Hello! We live in a suburb of St. Louis, MO, and definitely have one male Ruby-throated hummingbird with an orange throat. We have only one hummingbird feeder and he is the dominant male. We have observed that his throat was red and turned orange about two weeks ago. He is defiitely beginning to look ‘bedraggled’ from his over-protective stance.
We have questioned if he could have sustained injuries from the diving and soaring he does in his protective stance towards both males and females.
I Have a beautiful iridescent orange throated hummingbird visiting my south atlanta feeder this week. Color of a pumpkin. He’s the dominant bird here right now.
In the last two days I have noticed an orange throated male in my back yard, Pensacola, Florida area. He has just become dominate over the reigning female.
I managed to capture some decent photos of him today. I have five females, and one male all vying for the feeder, even though I have two. It’s quite an event watching them dance around my head.
Hi there, I have been web searching for answers to my hummer sighting last May. Now that we are heading to May 2012, I am hoping I have that sighting again AND a camera set up.
What we (my fiancée too) saw was a hummer with a brilliant orange throat. It also showed a brilliant iridescent green on its crown and down the back. The absolutely vibrant orange (and not reddish orange) also had an iridescent quality about it. Considering the picture here, the throat extended further down on the breast. The bird in all its postures was rounder, you might think this bird pictured above, after some steroids. But the curiosity is that it was on the feeder the 15th of May 2011 with the “non-breeding” plumage? Any answers?
Thanks, Jim
Hi Jim, First, just checking, do you live somewhere in the east so that the only expected species of hummingbird would be Ruby-throated? (because in the west then Allen’s Hummingbird would fit your description pretty well). Assuming it’s a Ruby-throated, the orange throat in May would be very unusual. It’s likely that it had molted into “breeding” plumage, but that the new feathers were a little off in color. For an extreme example of this see the green-throated Ruby-throated Hummingbird here http://www.pbase.com/fdietrich/image/123666772
The throat color extending farther down on the breast is probably related to posture, along with the “rounder” appearance. In Anna’s Hummingbirds it’s been found that males with less protein in their diet grow less briliant red throat feathers, so the odd posture could indicate a health or fitness issue for this bird, which could lead to a different throat color – just to throw out one possibility. If it comes back this year I do hope you can get photos!
Mr. Sibley. I stumbled across your website and was amazed to find this bird! I hadn’t seen any males in a while and all of a sudden I saw one with a green neck and was completely flummoxed. He appeared to be molting, so I was wondering if it could be part of the process, but when I saw other photos, I was floored. I have photos, but I’m hoping to get some better shots with my zoom today.
I’m currently in Iowa City, Iowa.
And by the way, I have your guide, and I love it.
Thanks for your articles on the orange throated hummingbird. Today is May 17, 2012 and I have an orange throated that has been here for two months. It is very beautiful and a joy to see.
Today is June 10th and I was able to get multiple pics of the red, rufous and orange throated.. very cool! I’m also in CT
May 31, 2012,
I saw my first orange-throated hummingbird at some flowers on our deck, within the past two weeks. Its throat was very bright iridescent orange (not ruby and not dull) and I noticed the top of its head was not green, but seemed to have a small, dull, light grey cap, other than that it looked just like our ruby-throated hummingbirds. Today I saw another hummingbird at our feeder that appeared to be a female (no throat patch) but with the same small, dull, light grey cap on top of its head. We normally only see male or female ruby-throated hummingbirds here, Columbia, MO.
I just saw an orange throated humming bird yesterday, 8/7/12, in Island Pond, VT, which is in the northeast corner of Vermont, about 20 miles from Canada.
Just saw my first orange throated hummer! He is very aggressively guarding 2 feeders right now!
How interesting! We just arrived at our place in Fairdealing, Kentucky to find three orange throated hummers – very definitely orange. Excited to learn that we aren’t imagining it!
I live in southern Alabama and my yellow-throated hummingbird is also the dominate male. He will only allow one female to feed with him and chases all others away. This is the first time that I have observe the yellow-throated hummingbird around my feeders. I took a picture and will try to post it. I had to take it from the window – couldn’t get close enough for a better picture.
Photographed a beautifully lit male Ruby-throated hummer sitting on utility wire protecting his feeder and hamelia patens bush here in Houston. Sent pic to interested family members and all questioned if the throat was touched up with orange. Was fortunate to have him looking straight at me for the best color.
have a young hummingbird with two vivid orange spots on its throat; is dominating 3 other hummers at the feeder and the orange trumpet flowers which i think are female RTH’s. Chittering seems to be different sound than the other 3 but bird is green with white outer tail feathers;orange spots show in lower light but dazzle in full sun;wish gorget would develop fully before he leaves for warmer climates Douglass (deep east Texas)
Hi Carol, Rufous Hummingbird is rare but regular in Texas. They have bright orange throat feathers and if you’re really hearing a different call that could mean it’s a different species. Both species have white tips on the tail feathers, but Rufous hummer should have a lot of orange in the base of the tail (where Ruby-throated is gray-green), and more buff-orange color on the flanks than a Ruby-throated.
Having just a few orange feathers means it’s either a female or an immature male, and they show more variation in the iridescent color than adult males do, so it’s certainly possible it’s a Ruby-throated that’s just not developing the perfect red color. I’d be happy to look at a photo if you can get one, just send it through the contact link above.
–Good Birding, David
Hi Mr. Sibley,
I live in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, in the western highlands near Chiapas, Mexico, about 8500 ft ASL. I get migrating Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds at my feeders in the fall (they move to lower elevations to spend the winter) and I have just started seeing the first migrants in the last week. I have seen an orange-throated male several times. I have some rather poor photos; I’m working on getting a better one.
Helen
Today is April 14, 2013 and I just saw an orange throated hummingbird. I was amazed as I have never seen one like this before. I have ruby throated and black cap that visit my feeders often. But today is the first time for the orange throated hummingbird. I just thought I would add how blessed I felt to see this one.
Linda
May 1, 2013 – Riverside, CA,(southern calif) I have had feeders up about 25 years and in the past 2 weeks for the VERY FIRST TIME (not even seen a picture of one) I saw a dual orange/brownish throat hummer (not bright or iridescent)! It also has the orange/brownish color in it’s tail feathers when it fans it’s tail. I don’t know if it’s male or female but it is at the feeder all the time. I have 3 feeders up since early March when the females started to swarm. It does a lot of guarding of the feeders but does feed with others birds at the same feeder. It’s smaller in size than the Ruby throat males. Where in the world did it come from?!?! My husband and I are in awe at it’s sight and are thankful for it visiting us!!
Hi Cat, That’s great that you have a new hummer at your feeders. In your area the common species with a red throat is Anna’s Hummingbird, and a bird with orange throat and orange tail as you describe would be a male Rufous Hummingbird (or maybe Allen’s Hummingbird, which is nearly identical). Both of those species are small, and males are extremely territorial, trying to defend a group of feeders against all other hummingbirds. If it’s a Rufous Hummingbird it will migrate on to the north to nest in British Columbia or even Alaska, Allen’s Hummingbirds nest along the coast of California, and yours might be a male Allen’s that’s already finished nesting for this year.