Hobbies And Interests
Color
Like most birds, hummingbirds come in many different colors and shades. Both the male Allen hummingbird and calliope hummingbird have metallic-green feathers on their heads and backs, for example, but have different colors on their chests. The Allen has ruddy-red colored feathers on his chest, while the calliope hummingbird has white and purple feathers on his. Taking note of the distinct colors found on a hummingbird will help you identify the bird correctly.
Size
While almost everyone knows that hummingbirds are small in comparison to other birds, even they can be differentiated from one another by their size. The calliope hummingbird, for example, is one of the smallest hummingbirds, with the male weighing only 2 1/2 g. The Anna's hummingbird, on the other hand, is one of the largest, with the male weighing 4 1/3 g. It may be difficult to identify birds by size unless they're next to each other, but if you notice the difference, it will help you correctly name the bird.
Bill/Beak
The bill or beak size of a hummingbird is another way to distinguish it from other birds and from other hummingbirds. The broad-billed hummingbird's name says it all: it has a broader bill than other birds. Not only that, but the female broad-billed birds have orange or reddish bills as well. The Xantus' hummingbird, a less-commonly seen bird, also has a red bill.
Sound
The humming of the hummingbirds makes them most recognizable as, well, hummingbirds. However, if you're trying to identify a hummingbird and hear a cricket noise, that may actually be the broad-tailed hummingbird, which makes noises similar to crickets. Most other hummingbirds hum traditionally, making it difficult to tell them apart by sound, but the broad-tailed hummingbird is one that can be identified only by sound if you're lucky enough to hear it.
Sexual Dimorphism
Identifying different hummingbirds is made more difficult because of the fact that many species of birds have a high level of sexual dimorphism, which is when the male and female of the species have major differences. Some are smaller than each other, some are completely different colors, and some don't have any sexual dimorphism at all. However, you can easily correctly identify a pair of two different-looking birds as the same species by noting the differences. The calliope hummingbirds, for example, look very similar flying together. However, the female has white tips on her tail. Allen's hummingbird males are much more colorful than the drab female version. In all species, the females are bigger. Noting the differences between birds flying together will help you identify species and sex.