Anna or Allan?

[Steve Bein]

HI, This humming bird hatchling was hanging around outside th window near my computer. I asked a friend and he said Anna's since they are most populous. I am not sure and would appreciate some expert advice.
Thanks,
Steve

[Steve Bein]

Another view

[Ian Cassell]

I'm no expert, but we have a large number of Anna's around here. I've never seen one with so much brown.

[Paul Lagasi]

Looking at all the possibilities, Steve....I would say Allen's

I've tried Sibley's, National Geo, and other books I have..nothing really jumps out at me.
Whatbird does show a humminbird with a tail like the one in the images above http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/168...mmingbird.aspx
Scroll down the page and look on the right, you'll see some photos (not the drawings). Check the tail on the hummer in image LS 3..it sure looks like your's
I wouldn't bet the farm on it though....

[Ian Cassell]

It almost looks like it could be a hybrid of a rufous and an anna's, but I don't know if that happens.

[Paul Guris]

First, this bird is far from a hatchling. It is a sub-adult and if this photo was taken recently I'd expect this bird to molt into adult plumage this year.

The bird is not an Anna's. Any amount of rusty coloration on the back eliminates this species which is green on the entire dorsal side. The buffy orange on the chest and sides also bumps Anna's out of the running. This is true in all plumages.

The bird is not an Allen's either, though that's a lot closer. The amount of rusty coloration on the back is too extensive for Allen's.

I'd call your bird as a male sub-adult Rufous molting into breeding plumage.

[Steve Bein]

Paul, I thought about the Rufous, but its range, at least per Stokes, is not near Los Angeles. Sorry, I forgot to mention that.
Any further thougths?
Thanks,
Steve

[Paul Guris]

Rufous Hummingbirds are common migrants through your area. Check out this range map from BirdFellow that clearly shows the area they migrate through. It also appears that there may be a small wintering group in California. They also show up in LOTS of places across the country. I'm on the New Jersey Bird Records Committee and we just reviewed 7 records from this fall alone of either Rufous or selasphorus (probably Rufous) Hummingbirds. They are powerful little flyers and can handle cold temperatures pretty well if they have food.

http://www.birdfellow.com/birds/rufo...asphorus-rufus