| Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is one of the most common hummingbirds in Panama, found in open and disturbed areas virtually throughout, no doubt another one of the few birds that benefits from the wholesale clearing of forests. One of the most common identification mistakes at the Canopy Tower feeders is when guests call a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, seen from behind, as a Rufous-tailed. Snowy-bellied does have a reddish tail, a color which extends up the back, and recognizing the different color tones is largely a matter of experience. But Rufous-tailed Hummingbird has a largely pinkish, two-toned bill; this dark image does not show the bill color well, but you can see the lack of a contrasting belly, and the white feathers on the tarsus of Rufous-tailed are less striking than on Snowy-bellied. |
| In January of 2007 Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds were the most numerous of their family in the gardens around the Canopy Lodge, and therefore fed more aggresively and openly at flowering plants throughout the property. It is there that I filmed the bird below, about as good a shot as I can get of a hummingbird in flight with my modest video camera. Although Birds of Panama does not discuss the vocalization of this species, its metallic, three-four note call is one of the more familiar sounds every morning at the Canopy Lodge- I'll manage to record it one of these days! |
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