[Birdtalk] The Perils of Pollinating?

[Kristin Purdy]

This morning I noticed a male hummingbird with a short straight bill at one of my feeders. From the back, the bird had the structure, proportions, and colors of a Black-chinned Hummingbird, but the length and shape of the bill wasn't compatible with that ID. Now before you get excited about a possible Ruby-thoated, let me tell you the rest of the story. 

The hummingbird left the feeder and landed on a tiny dead branch in the aspen next to the window. I got a good look. He was, indeed, a male Black-chinned Hummingbird with a short straight bill. The end 15 percent of his upper mandible appears to have been broken off. The distal end of the lower mandible is still present and it juts past the upper portion as a sliver that can't be seen with the unaided eye. 

The bird doesn't seem to have any trouble drinking from the feeder. I've watched him return a couple times and he takes long drinks like a hummer that just crossed a desert. Oops; we live in a desert. I guess that's appropriate.

My husband suggested perhaps the hummer was pollinating a snapdragon and it snapped on him. Hmmm. I'm not sure about the veracity of that theory, but perhaps we'll name this imperiled hummer Pauline. 

Kris
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://secureserver.securesites.net/pipermail/birdtalk/attachments/20060727/186bf668/attachment.htm