Hummer With White Spot on Top of Head (1 Viewer)

[Oubliette]

This time of year whenever I am refilling feeders, I like to hold one for a few minutes and watch as hummers land and feed. It's the best closeup viewing while they are motionless.

Last week, while doing this, I noticed something I've never seen before. A hummer with a white spot on the top of her head landed and drank for a very long time. I examined the white spot closely, at first thinking it might be pollen. But I am very sure it was not pollen, and have been puzzled ever since.

After Bill Hilton posted his photos, I followed other links at his sight and was reading up on his banding anecdotes, and noticed that he uses a nontoxic green paint to mark the throats of banded hummers, so that previously banded birds can be quickly identified and released if they are recaught.

Now I am wondering if someone else uses white paint to mark the top of heads of banded birds. Does anyone know? Thanks!

 

[birdleggs]

I get lots of them that have white on their head, it's like allmost half of their heads on some. You wouldn't think they would mark their heads. I'm sure someone here will know.

 

[Curtis Croulet]

I can only speak about Anna's Hummingbirds, which occasionally have white patches on top of the head. It seems to be (this is our bander's interpretation) a response to injury to the feathers. I'm not sure if they lose the white during molt. I don't recall ever seeing it at my own feeders, but I've seen it several times during banding sessions.

 

[humminbird]

The injury to a feather would certainly make sense. Another possible answer is that the bird may have been recently banded. Some banders color mark the birds with a dot of "white out" or similar product so that they do not capture the bird again later.

 

[Curtis Croulet]

In our particular situation, that explanation (i.e., intentional white mark) was considered and dismissed.

 

[humminbird]

It would indeed be easily considered and eliminated in the situation you describe Curtis. I understand entirely. In this case though, I am not sure it could be easily eliminated in Oubliettes incident. To me, it is at least as probable as injury to the feather while not yet emerged from the follicle.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

 

[baccalynnwv]

This is probably not what you saw, but some of my ruby throats have white on their heads, and it is just from being in the wrong place at the wrong time as another hummer had a bowel movement. LOL... I have seen two or three like that at my feeders (one of which is suction cupped to my window and I can stand inches from the birds and watch them feed). Just a suggestion.

 

[Tz'unun]

Hi, Oubliette and all. If it's definitely not pollen (which comes in many forms, including some that look like paint), the most likely other options are those abnormal white feathers that Curtis describes (which are actually rather common and permanent and may result from injury, disease, or just age - think gray hairs) and the droppings of another bird (though probably not another hummingbird since they normally produce liquid urine). A bander's mark is a bit more likely in your part of the country than almost anywhere else because of the relatively high concentration of hummingbird banders in the Southeast (some of whom do use a white mark on banded birds), but it's going to be really hard to rule out other possibilities without having a bander capture the bird, check it for a band, and match the number to a bander marking their birds with white.

 

[Oubliette]

Thanks, everyone. The fact that injury or age can affect the feather color was new to me. The more I learn about these birds, the more fascinating they become!

 

[birdleggs]

I don't know if you will be able to tell from this photo or not, but it looks like the white is more a less a bald spot when you magnify this picture.

 

[sarahbn]

It does look a little bald or like a marking pen. That's a nice picture birdlegs. do you still have hummingbirds.? Sarah

 

[birdleggs]

DH saw one today while I was at work. We will only see a few here and there at this time of year. Maybe a good thing, so I can get some yard word and house work done.

 

[MBP]

I don't know if you will be able to tell from this photo or not, but it looks like the white is more a less a bald spot when you magnify this picture.

Do hummingbirds not have a rather dark skin? Then this bright spot cannot be bald.