IN MY BIRDING YOUTH IN CALIFORNIA, the second edition of Roger Peterson’s Field Guide to Western Birds (1961) was my go-to source for bird identification. But, in hindsight, hummingbird identification was in a primitive state in those days. Field identification of males was all about the color of the gorget (iridescent throat patch shown by males of most species) and a few other plumage characters. Females? Forget it. Of the female Black-chinned Hummingbird, Peterson simply said “cannot safely be told in field from female of Costa’s or Ruby-throat.” Identification of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird was easier since it was the “only eastern hummingbird.” In 1966, Chan Robbins’ Birds of North America came along, but things hadn’t advanced much. Again Ruby-throated was the “only hummingbird east of Great Plains, except Rufous which is rare…” And once more female Black-chinneds and Costa’s were considered inseparable.
We know.
