We have plenty of hummingbirds visiting our back yard. They may look different depending on the angle the light hits their feathers but up until recently I had thought that they were all the same species – the Anna’s hummingbird. Then we got a visitor that seemed different. First, instead of having a grey look to the feathers, it was a lot more brown. The other difference was the sound of the wingbeats. Instead of the whirring noise we were used to, this one had a higher pitched sound almost like a click as the wings were hitting each other. It sounded quite distinctive. I trip to my big book of birds suggests that these may be Rufous hummingbirds. For the birders amongst you, I hope you will advise if I am mistaken.
Hi, I love I in the Northern Neck, of Virginia, I have a bunch of these little humming birds in my back yard. I’m new to this, how do I tell them apart, ? Most of mine are Grey, green and white, can you help me?
I’m not a specialist, I’m afraid Tammey. I have a big book of birds that I use to check these things out. Looking at that and your location, its possible that they could be ruby-throated hummingbirds. Take a look at pictures of those online and see if they look like the ones you get.