Fall 1999 Table of Contents

The last sounds of summer may be hummers

Hummingbirds that were at your sugar-water feeders or nectar-producing plants all summer brought colorful sights and sounds to your backyard.

Sights, surely, but sounds??

Oh yes, conveys "Tweeters" list service subscriber Mike Patterson. Western hummingbirds make three kinds of sounds:

1. Wing trills – these are deliberately produced (as opposed to being an artifact of really fast wings). Broad-tailed hummingbirds make a diagnostic 6000Hz whine from their specially tapered tenth primary feather, for example.

2. Tail buzz – these are produced in tail feather fanning displays, either in courtship or territorial disputes. The sound associated with Rufous hummingbird displays is presumed to be produced by the tail and the notch in a certain tail feather.

3. True vocalizations – most hummers make various chip and twitter notes. Anna’s hummingbird has a full song.

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