[HelenB]

My neighbor has asked me what type of hummingbird this is, as she can't find it in any of her books! I think it's a partial albino female Ruby-throated, but it's my first time seeing one, so I'd like the experts to confirm or otherwise.

Thanks....

[KCFoggin]

Wow, I haven't seen them in this shape. Do you suppose it's just an all over molt?

[HelenB]

Zoomed in for more detail - they do look like actual white feathers to me.

[Tz'unun]

Hi, Helen,

There are a couple of possibilities for this bird's unusual plumage. One is a congenital abnormality, in which case most people would call it partial albinism. The other possibility is that these white feathers appeared later in life, possibly as the result of injury, disease, or age (like gray hairs). I'm not sure we can apply the term "partial albinism" in the second case, though, or I'd have to call myself a partial albino.

One of my favorite Black-chinned Hummingbirds suddenly grew a scattering of white feathers about three years after I banded her as an adult. Though not all old hummingbirds get white feathers, this raised the possibility that she was already a little long on the tooth (beak?) when we first encountered her. That wasn't the only special thing about her, either. Here's one of my favorite stories about her that I included in an article published in Birds & Blooms earlier this year:

One female, “Checkers,” earned her nickname from the distinctive pattern of dark markings on her throat. She was one of our regulars on the San Pedro, with 17 captures over five years. One summer, Checkers entered our trap at the beginning of a two-hour banding session. We verified her band number, took the usual measurements, let her drink from a feeder on the banding table, and sent her on her way.

At the end of the session, as I was packing my tools, I heard the thrum of wings and looked up into a familiar face. It was Checkers, and her eyes were darting from me to the feeder on the table, then back to me. I leaned back and folded my arms to look less threatening. "Go for it, lady," I murmured. She took a tentative sip on the wing, sneaking a peek around the feeder bottle to make sure I was staying put. Once satisfied that it was safe, she settled on the perch and drank her fill before making a beeline back toward the green ribbon of cottonwood trees.

[HelenB]

Thanks for the information, Sheri. I'll pass it on to my neighbor.

[melaniecb]

WOW! What an amazingly unusual bird.

Last fall, I had your hummer with the odd deformed bill visit my yard also. I will keep my eyes peeled for this bird too!

Hurricane Ike caused the rufous I had to move on, and I have had another juvenile show up, but he didn't stay for long. How did your birds seem to fare? I hope to see some more rufous soon...

Melanie
Sugar Land, Texas

[HelenB]

Hi Melanie
My long time wintering female Rufous (we called her Droopy Wing) has not returned this year, and she's always arrived by the end of August, so I fear she has gone to hummer heaven. We had a different banded female Rufous drop by for a week earlier in August - we could read the last number on her band and think she is one that was banded the same day as Droopy Wing, but she didn't stay. We've seen an immature Rufous recently but haven't managed to get any photos. There are too many Rubies chasing it off the feeders.

The Saturday morning after the hurricane had gone through, I had to get all the feeders back up very quickly, as they were all back looking for their food! Although there was quite a lot of damage to the big trees in the neighborhood, our cuphea bushes, lantana and bouganvillea didn't suffer too much. Hope your home and yard came through Ike OK.