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Rufous Hummingbird in my Garden

by Fern on August 9, 2008

in Birds Bees & Butterflies

Using WhatBird, I was able to identify a really beautiful hummingbird I saw in my garden today as a Rufous Hummingbird. It seems that these guys breed in the Pacific Northwest and spend the winter in Mexico, so he must have been taking a break in my Southern California garden on his way to Mexico.

Photo by Janruss

Photo by Janruss

Some interesting facts I learned from WhatBird:

  • The Rufous Hummingbird has the longest migration route of all North American hummingbirds.
  • This bird has an excellent memory for location. They have been observed investigating where an absent feeder was located the previous year.
  • A group of hummingbirds has many collective nouns, including a “bouquet”, “glittering”, “hover”, “shimmer”, and “tune” of hummingbirds.

 

 

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Michelle December 11, 2008 at 12:18 pm

I had a “bouquet” of at least 3 Rufous hummers hang out for about a month last spring. What gorgeous birds and what a treat to get to watch their antics for so long. They managed to dominate one of my 3 feeders, the resident Anna’s were none too happy.

I found your blog through blotanical.

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Fern December 11, 2008 at 3:06 pm

Hey Michelle! Thanks for stopping by! It’s funny how aggressive Hummingbirds can be. For such little pip squeaks, they can be real bullies.

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