The moulting season has kicked in, molt is the systematic replacement of feathers. All birds do it. Birds have to molt because feathers wear out from physical abrasion and bleaching from the sun. Once a year in late summer birds grow an entirely new set of feathers! It is unusually quiet in our yard as this takes place, this morning there wasn't a sound out there.
This male hummingbird appears quite rough looking as it is moulting. I've just been made aware of this process, quite interesting.
Well timed! And your narrative probably explains why my little wet hummer looks so mottled. Only my hummers area anything but quiet today as it's been windy and raining and they've been very hungry.
Well, I knew some animals do that but I don't think I knew the birds do it as well. Good catch- most of us would have thought this fellow was in a fight or got wet! Now we know better.
We have at least one female who looks just like that [minus the throat patch]. Others don't seem to have started molting yet. Beautiful capture, especially the iridescence and the wings.
August 15th, 2020
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