Date: 9/15/26 8:45 am From: David Tønnessen <davidtonnessenx...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Empid help - Arapahoe
Hey Jared,
You're correct, for the reasons you stated about Hammond's being in a
fresh, yellowish plumage this time of year. In fact, they're so much so
that often a stronger source of confusion right now is Western Flycatcher.
But the small, all-dark bill and the long, thin sabre-like primary
projection are good Hammond's cues. Not just the length, but the thin shape
of those primaries with a noticeable gap between the 3rd and the 4th
longest visible primary feathers.
David Tønnessen
On Tue, Sep 15, 2026, 9:25 AM Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...>
wrote:
> Had a tough empid in my Centennial yard last night. Everything--bill,
> primary extension, tail length, at least at variable angles of
> photos--seems intermediate between a Hammond's and Dusky, but I have very
> little experience with Hammond's. (One experience, to be precise.) A
> Hammond's would rate as a "good" yard bird here in Centennial. A Dusky
> would be, well, another Dusky, though any empid visit to a suburban yard is
> exciting.
>
> The freshness and brightness of the plumage seems a good sign of a
> Hammond's, which molt before fall migration and are in, according to Kenn
> Kaufman, "very fresh plumage during fall migration, with buffy wing bars,
> fairly bright yellow on the belly and dark olive-gray on the chest" (but
> note I have no chest photos). But the paleness of the throat and the
> olive-green on the head seem a strike against it (to my inexperienced
> eyes).
>
> Duskies don't molt until arriving on wintering grounds. Kaufman describes
> adults as "worn and drab" in fall; juveniles are "slightly more
> colorful...but these colors are fading rapidly as the late summer turns to
> fall."
>
> The bill color seems closer to Hammond's to me -- mostly dark, but this
> seems to depend on the angle and clarity of the photo and seems fairly
> variable among birds anyway.
>
> Photos below.
>
> [image: Screenshot 2026-09-14 at 8.09.30 PM.png]
> This photo gives me Hammond's vibes -- but are the primaries long enough?
> Certainly, the tail doesn't seem long to me. (I saw a Dusky in my yard a
> week or so ago, and the tail seemed much longer?) Bill looks small, no? Or
> is that the angle?
>
> [image: Screenshot 2026-09-15 at 9.03.03 AM.png]
> Clear shot of the primary extension. Seem neither long nor short. Same
> goes for the tail. A lot of olive-yellow, though.
>
> I have a several more photos, but they're all mostly variants of these.
>
> Any help and input appreciated!
>
> - Jared Del Rosso
> Centennial, CO
>
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