Date: 11/17/25 2:46 pm From: David Pereksta via groups.io <pereksta...> Subject: Re: [venturacobirding] Allen's Hummingbird Question for Experts
Hi Brad
I have been thinking about this same question as I had two birds occasionally visiting my yard last winter that were Selasphorus hummingbirds with no rufous on the back, rump, and uppertail coverts; and a lack of rufous on the undersides too. There was a small patch of rufous on the sides of the uppertails and some paler buffy coloring on the undersides, but that was it. My understanding is that Allen's should have some degree of rufous in the areas you described although as I further researched this, apparently Rufous Hummingbirds can have a lack of rufous coloring in those areas as juveniles (Allen's less likely to lack rufous completely). However, Rufous Hummingbirds do not winter locally so we are unlikely to see them outside their migration windows. See the article at the following link for further insights on these difficult to identify fall Selasphorus hummingbirds.
Fall Befuddlers: Broad-tailed, Rufous/Allen’s, and Calliope – Sheri L. Williamson
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Fall Befuddlers: Broad-tailed, Rufous/Allen’s, and Calliope – Sheri L. W...
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After taking a month or more to get decent looks and photos last winter, the consensus from a number of "experts" was that my birds were Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. One of them appears to have returned last week and I am continuing to try to document it. My birds have generated a lot of head-scratching and highlights just how hard it is to identify female and immature hummingbirds.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Dave PerekstaVentura
On Monday, November 17, 2025 at 11:58:46 AM PST, Brad Sillasen via groups.io <bradstewartsillasen...> wrote:
Do female/imm. male Allen's ever have 100% green back, rump, and upper tail coverts? Brad SillasenLa Vida en la Avenida
