Don,

In my experience (~3000 Ruby-throats banded since 2000), juvenile
Ruby-throats can show a few pinfeathers growing in as late as early
September, mainly on the body, but not on the wing or tail. Adults molt all
their body feathers after nesting and before migrating in the fall, which is
usually during August. This is not well documented in the scientific
literature, and is one of the objectives of my own hummingbird research - to
clarify and document the molt cycles of these birds.

I'm glad that Tim was able to get over to band this bird. It truly is an
oddity. Perhaps it had an encounter with a predator and has had to grow back
all the feathers on it's rear half?

Allen Chartier
[log in to unmask]
1442 West River Park Drive
Inkster, MI  48141
Website: http://www.amazilia.net
Michigan HummerNet: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet
===============================================
Every day, the hummingbird eats its own weight in food.
You may wonder how it weighs the food. It doesn't.
It just eats another hummingbird.
---Steven Wright

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donald Morse, Jr." <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Bill Whan" <[log in to unmask]>; "Allen Chartier"
<[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>;
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:10 AM
Subject: Hummer IDed


> All,
>
> My odd hummer was caught and banded this morning by Tim Tolford
> http://www.tolford.com/birdband/Hummingbirds.htm .  It has turned out
> to be an immature male Ruby-throated that has some very odd molt going
> on.  That is what threw me off - I have never seen anything like this
> before.  They are supposed to molt on the wintering grounds.
>
> To see photos go to my blog at : http://donaldthebirder.blogspot.com/
> , (Tim has more that he took and will post them on his site later).
>
> ----
> Donald Morse Jr.
> New Richmond, OH
>

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