Molting Male Rufous Hummingbirds
location - near Houston, Texas
In mid-December, 2002, I had a very scruffy immature Rufous Hummingbird spend a few weeks in my yard, during the 02-03 winter season. He looked as though he had an injury or deformity in the gorget area, as can be seen in the 3 photos on the left, below (taken with an Olympus C700UZ). However, it is more likely that he is undergoing a molt and the new gorget feathers have not yet grown in.
Then in mid-February 2004, I noticed a mature male Rufous which also had a scruffy looking gorget and similar fluffy feathers on the upper breast. I thought that it might be the same bird, but neither of the birds were banded so it is impossible to speculate, without the important documentation provided on recapturing a bird. February is the right time of year for wintering Rufouses to undergo a molt, before they return to their summer breeding grounds in the northwest states of the USA and western Canada.
Photos on the right, were taken on Feb 11th, 2004, with a Canon 300D (EOS Digital Rebel). For more photos of a male Rufous in molt, click here and scroll down almost to the end.
Photos on the left taken Dec. 02 Photos on the right taken Feb. 04
This page was last updated on: June 10, 2006
