Not sure if bird is a RTH

[ryan]

A hummingbird came to my firespike several times this afternoon, and I am not sure what species it is. It has a faded green back and tail, a white throat with small spots and a prominant white patch or ring around its neck. It also seems to bob its tail when feeding. The underside is much darker than the neck.

[Steve Backes]

Hi Ryan,

You're probably seeing a young male Ruby-throat. The spotting on the throat is called stippling. Over the winter, that stippling will be replaced with the red feathers of the adult's gorget. The faded coloration could be wear on the feathers from migration. Depending on the positioning of the head they often appear to have a partial white band around the neck. This can sort of be seen in this photo of a first year male Ruby-throat that I took in my yard a few years ago.



This photo of a female Ruby-throated shows the white ring around the neck look.




The Black-chinned continuously pumps its tail but so do some Ruby-throateds. Ruby-throateds don't typically pump as much as the Black-chinneds but it depends on the Ruby-throat and his attitude at the time. Black-chinneds aren't expected to reach Florida until early October at the earliest. Typically, they're not seen here before November.

Steve