The search for an after-hatch-year female Rufous (1 Viewer)

zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #1

All birds shot in 08/2012 SE of Phoenix.

I was very optimistic about getting my first female AHY Rufous after getting two AHY males this past month. Unlike the males, you have to get a tail shot and even then there is the issue of HY or AHY. I am going to post all my tail shots from this past census and would very much appreciate getting some feedback on my observations.

Have to show off my first AHY male first.....

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #2

Regarding all of the shots, they are all 500x500, all tails are as big as I can get them.

Bird 1: Three colors on R2 making it female; R4 looks to have a lot of white, thus HYF

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #3

Bird 2: again I think a female due to the three colors on R4; good look at R5, don't know if that is diagnostic; R2 looks to have the same amount of white as Bird 1; again, HY female

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #4

Bird 3: I believe same story as B1 and B2; color on R4 making it female, lots of white on R2; HY female

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #5

Bird 4: I don't see a third color on R4 so I will call this a HY male

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #6

Bird 5: This bird excited me a bit due to what I think is a skinny R5 making it a potential Allen's (not at all likely here). The shape of R2 I think rules out Allen's. The lack of a third color on R2 makes this a HY male.

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #7

Bird 6: Although only a look at the inside of the tail, it looks like R2 has two colors; R4 has a lot of white; HY female

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #8

Bird 7: I don't see a third color on R2; HY male

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #9

Bird 8: A tougher picture to work with, but looks like no extra color on R2, HY male.

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 9, 2012

• #10

My last candidate

Bird 9: Color on R2, so female, I am hoping less white on R4; please tell me this is a AHY female, then tell me the truth....... :-(

 

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zoutedrop

zoutedrop

• Sep 16, 2012

• #11

Very disappointing that there were no responses....

a) not possible?
b) looking for the wrong diagnostic?

I edited all my observations to add a ? as I really am unsure if what I am doing is possible (well, that did not work, can't edit old postings)

There are pictures of AHY female Rufous on the internet during banding sessions, but there is not enough in the dialogue to pick up what to look for. Obviously a returned banded bird can by default be AHY female just because it does not have male plumage.

 

Tz'unun

Featherless Biped

• Sep 17, 2012

• #12

You're looking for the right tail characteristics, but they're so variable in expression that there's overlap between AHY and HY females in everything except the widths of the rectrices. As with back color in adult male Rufous/Allen'ss, it's the birds at opposite ends of their respective bell curves that are easiest to ID.

Gorget pattern is usually quite different between AHY females and HYs of either sex. Plumage condition can be helpful; AHY females should be pretty worn this late in the season, and all of these birds look very fresh to me.

The classic paper by F. Gary Stiles is a good resource: Age and sex determination in Rufous and Allen hummingbirds