“My” Hummingbirds

I know I have at least four little hummingbirds that are visiting the feeders on my deck. 

Three males are constantly fighting.  I’ve decided to name two of them “Hurricane” and “Tornado” because they will destroy anything in the violent path of their fighting (if they don’t kill themselves first).

At least one of the others is a female.  And, of course, there could be multiples of any of those three.

But, here’s a bit of a mystery…  according to my many bird books, ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only ones found east of the Mississippi.  The fourth little guy that’s visiting is NOT a ruby-throated.  But he also doesn’t look like any of the hummingbirds in the field guides I have. 

He moves so fast, I haven’t gotten a good look at him, but I think he’s a tad bigger than the others.  He has a dark head, back and wings, but his entire breast is BRIGHT YELLOWISH GREEN.  I can usually hear the birds as they zoom to the feeders.  He’s louder than the other ones, and he seems more curious and braver because he gets closer to me, hovering around my shoulders and the back of my head, and following me around the yard.

Of course, every time I’ve seen him, I’ve been camera-less.  Figures.  I’ll keep trying to capture him.

Here’s one of the males I rescued a couple of weeks ago from certain death in the jaws of a dog.  His fighter buddy companion was able to fly away after hitting the side of the house and bouncing into the yard.  This little guy was a bit too stunned and it took him about 10 minutes to recover.