#allen's hummingbird

[thiscountry]

What say you?

[spinus-pinus]

Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus sp.

5/4/2023 Orange County, California

[wbicepuppy]

Allen's hummer, acrylics on canvasboard mini-painting

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Allen's Hummingbird

Photo: Becky Matsubara

"A close relative of the Rufous Hummingbird, Allen's has a more limited range, nesting mostly in California. This is one of the two common nesting hummingbirds in northern California gardens (Anna's is the other). Females and immatures of Allen's Hummingbird are almost impossible to separate from Rufous females without close examination, so the status of the species in migration is still being worked out by dedicated hummingbird banders."

- Audubon Field Guide

[mosticonicbirdcallbracket]

MOST ICONIC BIRD CALL BRACKET: ROUND ONE: KOOKABURRA vs. ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD

IN THE BLUE CORNER, we have a special guest that is no laughing matter. ladies and gentlemen, it's the one and only kookaburra!

this fierce competitor hails from the australian outback, where it's been honing its skills as a hunter and protector of its territory. but tonight, it's stepping into a whole new arena, ready to take on any and all challenges in the ring. and listen to that signature call - some call it a laugh, but to its opponents, this is a warning. so get ready, because tonight, the kookaburra is here to prove that it's not just a cute bird - it is a force to be reckoned with!

IN THE RED CORNER, we have a combatant that's bold, beautiful, and boasts lightning fast reflexes, the allen's hummingbird!

with the ability to hover mid-air and to move at incredible speeds, the allen's hummingbird is a master at aerial combat - and it knows it. this tiny fighter is highly aggressive and has been known to fend off birds magnitudes larger than it, including hawks and kestrels. you'll be able to recognize this bird from the loud, bee-like buzzing from those mighty wings, but you'll want to check out these vocalizations, too - a series of chirps that starts off slow, but speeds up much like an engine revving. with its iridescent feathers in the spotlight, the allen's hummingbird looks ready to take on any opponent that dares to step into the ring with it.

[starskynder]

Allen's Hummingbird #inktober day 30.

[draculavian]

Birdtober day 25-31 !! it's finally over !! based on the list by Aholmesartstudio on Instagram

[necrofauna]

[wingedjewels]

Allen's Hummingbird by Lee Greengrass Via Flickr: Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, CA

[punkedsolar]

Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin)

Lookin' just like some Allen's Lollies.

[atamagaitai]

allen's hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) by alexmiranda

[thiscountry]

Hello R.

[spinus-pinus]

Allen's Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin

2/16/2023 Disneyland Park, California

[lowcountry-gothic]

Art by Sarah Kiser.

[wearerofsocks]

figured i would finally get around to posting my photography like i said i would!

probably not going to be posting these consistently enough to make its own sideblog, and feels kind of out of place on my art blog? so i'll just post them here

[themesopelagiczone]

I just found your blog but im immediately curious! What is your favorite bird and fish and can we have some facts on them if you have some?? :DD

oh my god YES absolutely!!!

my favorite fish are frogfish! (although wobbegong sharks come a close second.) these guys look so angry all the time. it's hilarious.

photos: silke baron | scubadiverlife | luke gordon via crittersresearch

frogfish are like ocean ninjas. their pectoral fins are modified so they can do a shuffly little "walk" along the ocean floor, and they have a little dangling lure they use to attract prey.

the coolest thing, though, is that their bite is so fast that even slo-mo can't capture it: they can expand their mouths to 12 times its normal volume in 1/6000th of a second. it's the fastest bite in the animal kingdom! here's a really good video of them.

sources: ocean conservancy | waikiki aquarium | prev knowledge lol

my favorite bird is a little (LOT) harder to decide, but i'm a really big fan of hummingbirds.

photos (all of adult male birds): dean latray | jason vassallo | gordon karre

my favorite hummingbird fact is that their tongues don't actually work like straws! their tongue is made of two tubes and is forked, sort of like there's two feathers coming out of the tip. the tubes expand and roll up, sort of like a pump. when their tongue sticks out, the "split ends" absorb nectar, and when their tongue is pulled back into their beaks, it's squashed and the nectar is squeezed out!

also hummingbird tongues are so long they wrap around their brain.

sources: the atlantic | prev knowledge | this absolute BANGER of a video by one of my fave youtubers (zefrank)

anyway. yeah. this was a long answer and i'm not sorry about it. thanks for the ask! <33