Violet-ear hummingbird!

[Steve Foss]

Just got this a couple days ago from a birding e-mail service. This is an image of a green violet-ear, a southern Mexican and Central American mountain tropical hummingbird that makes rare visits to the U.S. and has been seen on very rare occasions this far north. The bird was reported somewhere in NW Wisconsin, where the image comes from. There are no more specific details as to exactly where and when it was seen. When I get more, I'll post them.

But it just goes to show you that range maps in birding guides aren't written in stone, and a bird's wings can take it far from what we would consider its home. Rufous hummingbirds, common in the western U.S., are another species that likes to wander, as does the broad-billed, Anna's, black-chinned and calliope. In fact, documented sightings of southwestern hummer species in the central and eastern states, according to the Sibley guide maps, aren't exactly common, but happen often enough to urge us to look closely at every hummer that comes in to our nectar feeders. The rufous is the western species most commonly seen in the east, and it looks nothing like the ruby-throated. The green violet-ear is wary, according to hummingbird field guides, and, like many of the larger hummers, spends more time looking for and feeding on insects than on nectar.

The image isn't that good. Obviously, the autofocus on the person's camera decided the tree was the subject, not the bird, but there's enough detail to pin down the species.