Name That Hummingbird

Possible hybrid of a Costa’s Hummingbird and a Lucifer Hummingbird…

A group of birders spotted what looks like a hybrid cross between a Costa’s Hummingbird and a Lucifer Hummingbird in the Huachuca Mountains of southeast Arizona.

Adult Male Costa's Hummingbird x Lucifer Hummingbird Hybrid (Copyright www.funbirdingtours.com)

Here’s an excerpt from an article at the FunBirdingTours.com giving more details of this remarkable sighting…

Most interesting was a LUCIFER x COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD hybrid. It was, as you’d expect, somewhere between the two.

It was the general size and shape of Lucifer, although perhaps a little squatter. The bill was long and slightly down-curved, but not as long or as down-curved as a regular Lucifer. It had a long tail, like a Lucifer and unlike anything else you’d see in Arizona.

On the Costa’s front, it had a shorter and more flared gorget than a Lucifer, with some purple color extending onto the forehead and ear coverts. The obvious white breast stood out, and there was no discernible rufous coloring on the flanks. An intriguing and instructive bird, well worth a look.

Wouldn’t you say this little hybrid Costa’s Hummingbird got the best of both parents!

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