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| | Ruby-throated vs. Black-chinned Hummingbird Identification |
 | | Below is a photographic analysis of a bird initially thought to be a "female-type" (female or immature male) Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, illustrating some of the challenges of separating this species from the very similar plumages of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris. |
 | | In the author's opinion the bird is clearly the latter species, which is by far the more common in eastern Kansas, where the bird was observed. |
 | | Sheri Williamson, author of Hummingbirds of North America (Peterson Field Guides, 2002), was kind enough to offer additional analysis of the tail, helpful in determining the bird's sex and age: Note the rounded tip to the outermost rectrix (R5), the broad white tip on R3, and the narrow white tip on R2. |
| staff.jccc.edu /dseibel/rthu.htm (1022 words) |
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