Hummingbird Quiz (4 Viewers)

[madamcoolpix]

Hi, Hummingbird lovers! :hi:

The purpose of this Quiz is not precisely to show “how much we know” but to share a bunch of pictures with you and to have a little fun learning to identify these species. For that reason, I invite everybody having Hummingbirds pictures to share them here. Although I love Hummingbirds, I can’t identify as many species as I wish, and I would love myself to learn from other’s pictures.

All my pics were taken in Costa Rica, so that is a good clue. Here I’m attaching 3 bad pictures of easy Hummers (if the pics were good it would be too easy ). I must add number 1 must be the worst picture I’ve taken in my whole life! :-C

I’m letting you to guess and confirm for a while before giving the answer. English name would be enough but if you can give the scientific name, better.

I promise better pictures for the next session. Have a nice time!

 

[Luiz]

Well Marian, from your pics we can see Costa Rica is really a hummer-lover paradise!
Photo number 1 of the snow-cap?

 

[Lisa W]

Marian,
Ok, I've made sure not to look at Luiz's answers. Here are my guesses:
1. Snowcap - Microchera albocoronata
2. Male Purple Throated Mountain-gem - Lampornis Calolaema
3. Violet Sabrewing - Campylopterus hemileucurus
Probably didn't get any correct, but it was fun to try!
Except for the first thought they were great photos.

 

[madamcoolpix]

Hi, Luiz and Lisa!

Thanks for playing the Quiz! And YES, that horrible looking blurred purple dot with another white dot on the top was a SNOWCAP. I'm ashamed of that pic, but it was my only shot of it. I'm afraid it was a bit dark in the forest and I got too excited to find that splendorous male. I was thinking to post that in the Gallery the 1st of April as a joke, but surely my reputation as a photographer would fall to pieces instantaneously!

Lisa, you are too kind to say the two last pictures are great. The birds are great, but they are a bit blurred or out of focus. On the other hand, you told you were going to play the Quiz very bad, and that your guesses where going to be wrong... but BINGO! The 3 are correct!!! Congratulations!!!

N. 2 is a male Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, a very distinctive Hummingbird. I don't think there is another Hummingbird with such a bold white eye-stripe and that purple throat. If I'm mistaken, please correct me. At least in Costa Rica it is unmistakable.

N. 3 is another striking species, impossible to mistake: a male Violet Sabrewing. No other Hummingbird is so big, so violet, with that curved bill and that bold white in the proportionately long tail.

I'm going to prepare another 3 pics. See you later!

Marian

 

[madamcoolpix]

Here I am again, with 3 more pics. I hope you like them and guess what these beauties are!

See you tomorrow, here is time to go to bed!

:gn:

 

[Lisa W]

Marian,
You got me this time, only one guess:
#1 Think it might be a Brown Violet Ear - Colibri delphinae
Unless there is another Violet Sabrewing - except a juvenile???
I can't seem to figure out the other two.
Luiz, good luck if you play this one.

 

[Luiz]

Marian,
You got me this time, only one guess:
#1 Think it might be a Brown Violet Ear - Colibri delphinae
Unless there is another Violet Sabrewing - except a juvenile???
I can't seem to figure out the other two.
Luiz, good luck if you play this one.

Hello Marian, Lisa, and everybody!
Well, I'm still astonished at the beauty of these Costa Rica hummers!
For the new pics, I will agree with Lisa in the first one ( that is the avatar of Marian in BF! ), and say it is the Brown Violet Ear. The second I would say it is the White-necked Jacobin ( is it a distant cousin of our Black Jacobin? ), and for the third I think I have to wait and see..

Cheers!

 

[Luiz]

Hi, Hummingbird lovers! :hi:

The purpose of this Quiz is not precisely to show “how much we know” but to share a bunch of pictures with you and to have a little fun learning to identify these species. For that reason, I invite everybody having Hummingbirds pictures to share them here. Although I love Hummingbirds, I can’t identify as many species as I wish, and I would love myself to learn from other’s pictures.

All my pics were taken in Costa Rica, so that is a good clue. Here I’m attaching 3 bad pictures of easy Hummers (if the pics were good it would be too easy ). I must add number 1 must be the worst picture I’ve taken in my whole life! :-C

I’m letting you to guess and confirm for a while before giving the answer. English name would be enough but if you can give the scientific name, better.

I promise better pictures for the next session. Have a nice time!

Marian, the third hummer of the second list coud be a female of the Purple- throated mountain gem? I'm saying this because it has a similar white strip behind the eyes...

Luiz

 

[madamcoolpix]

He, he, YES, as both of you agree on number 1, Brown Violetear, I give you that answer. And yes, that was the picture of my Avatar!

Lisa, that one cant be a Violet Sabrewing because of the bill, this one is straight, not curved. And the violet ear-patch says immediately it is a Violet-ear of some kind.

But I'm not going to say anything about the other two until somebody confirms or contradicts! I must say I've been a bit naughty, and posted pictures hiding diagnostic features, to make it a bit more difficult. I'm going to post other views of both species as a clue, to help you to confirm or ID correctly.

I'll be back a bit later, bye for now.

 

[madamcoolpix]

I've selected the new views. Here you have them.

For ex-number 3 (the new number 2) I've chosen a pic showing properly the features. Luiz, you will see he has not an eye stripe but an eye-spot. And now one of the two birds in the image is "shining" so you can see the colours, and that helps a lot.

Good guess!

 

[Lisa W]

Marian,
#2 from your last post is a Magnificent Hummingbird - Eugenes fulgens. I should have known as we get those here in SE Arizona.
The first is still eluding me, maybe Jose will have some ideas.

 

[madamcoolpix]

He, he! YES, you "share out the points", Luiz and Lisa! Luiz guessed the White-necked Jacobin and Lisa the Magnificent Hummingbird... In a certain way that is logical, as Jacobins are found in South and Central America (Luiz area) while the Magnificent Hummingbird is more northern and reaches Arizona... I expected you to guess that one, Lisa!

That White-necked Jacobin is unmistakable; no other Hummingbird has a white belly and deep blue head and breast, let alone a white neck as it has, although the white neck is not always visible... but it can be seen in the second picture.

The magnificent Hummingbird is trickier, although in Costa Rica (and I think in all North and Central America) can't be misidentified: no other Hummingbird has that "big" size, with a long straight bill. With the right light, the purple crown and the green gorget are diagnostic.

With these we have studied already 6 species. I hope my lessons are productive! Sorry, because of my profession I'm always prone to "teaching"!

I'm going to select a new set of pictures right now. I'll be back later!

 

[madamcoolpix]

There it goes another set of 3 pictures. I think they are easy but if they are not I can give you some clues.

Enjoy yourself!

 

[Mario Hummer]

Hi Marian,

I'm gonna give a shot at your no. 1 above:

Green-crowned brilliant, Heliodoxa Jacula.

You shouldn't let your 'students' have all this fun in class, Marian... ;-)

Cheers,

Mario

 

[Luiz]

There it goes another set of 3 pictures. I think they are easy but if they are not I can give you some clues.

Enjoy yourself!

Well Marian, number 2 seems to be Colibri thalassinus, or Green-violet ear.. Seems too easy to be true!

 

[Lisa W]

Ok Marian, here are my latest guesses:
#1 - Green-crowned Brilliant - Heliodoxa jacula Not sure about this one. Maybe it's the angle but his front looks pretty dark.
#2 Green Violet-Ear - colibri thalassinus Even tho the violet color is small, seems to fit the best
#3 - Coppery-headed Emerald - Elvira cupreiceps
How'd I do, teacher?

 

[madamcoolpix]

Hi, Mario, welcome to this little game!

You shouldn't let your 'students' have all this fun in class, Marian... ;-)

Ha, ha!!! Honestly, I wish my "real" students were as good and enthusiastic as you are in "this classroom"!!! And a good start, by the way, you got it!!! It is the Green-crowned Brilliant!

Well Marian, number 2 seems to be Colibri thalassinus, or Green-violet ear.. Seems too easy to be true!

Ha, ha!!! You are making me laugh today!!! Well, Luiz, believe or not IT IS the Green Violetear! For Costa Rica is very easy because there is no other Violetear there all green... But if you don't know where the pic was taken I don't think it is so easy. I have problems myself to distinguish the "green" Violetears. Maybe you can tell me how can I tell apart Green and Sparkling Violetears (letting aside the size)... . As for the White-vented Violetear, I got that one not long ago thanks to Daniesser and 3 pics he posted in the Gallery.

How'd I do, teacher?

Well, Lisa, this time you amazed me! You got them all, included the last one, the incredible Coppery-headed Emerald (so tiny and sparkling). Endemic to Costa Rica, it is quite known and in Costa Rica the size and the white underparts and tail are diagnostic. But still I thought you would need a clue! I'm glad I was mistaken!

Not sure about this one. Maybe it's the angle but his front looks pretty dark.

True. That's the reason I don't trust colours when trying to ID Hummingbirds, they can be very confusing. I prefer to rely on size, morphology, bill shape and length,... and the colours as supporting information.

Tonight I will post another set of birds. For the moment I leave you with another pic of the marvellous Green-crowned Brilliant... to prove I can take nice pictures from time to time! Cheers everybody!

 

[Lisa W]

How cool, Marian. Can't believe I got all three! I do wish my students would do some research like I'm doing on your quizzes. You ask them to look something up and they are affronted - most want it on a silver platter.
:-O

Am awaiting tonight's assignment!

 

[madamcoolpix]

Oh, Lisa, you are a teacher too!!! Nice to find someone here who can understand my frustrations with the students. I hope to lighten your troubles at work with these coming beauties.

I assume you all can guess what they are from these pics. I have at least another one of all them just in case you need an extra view.

I'll check tomorrow your answers, guys, for me it is time to retire; I'm falling sleepy on the keyboard! Bye for now!

 

[Luiz]

Oh, Lisa, you are a teacher too!!! Nice to find someone here who can understand my frustrations with the students. I hope to lighten your troubles at work with these coming beauties.

I assume you all can guess what they are from these pics. I have at least another one of all them just in case you need an extra view.

I'll check tomorrow your answers, guys, for me it is time to retire; I'm falling sleepy on the keyboard! Bye for now!

Marian, what a beautiful shot, this first one, kissing some lovely flowers! Is it the Panterpe insignis ( Fiery-throated HB )? The secon one is extraordinarily exquisite, but I have no idea about it's ID. As for the third, is it the Rufous-tailed HB?

Cheers!!