How can they tell it's a "Ruby Throated" hummingbird if it's albino?

Omg, this is going to put me over the top for my Big Year.

Impressive photography. Congratulations.

darklingscribe: How can they tell it's a "Ruby Throated" hummingbird if it's albino?

By where it's located. Ruby throated hummingbirds are the only hummingbirds that are plentiful on the east coast. Most other varieties tend to stay around New Mexico.

FTFA:

Kevin Shank also has tips on how to get that perfect nature shot here.

Conspicuously absent from those tips: Start with a $9K lens on a $5K camera.

/no, I probably still wouldn't do as well, even with $14K in equipment
//good job, rich kids

My aunt saw one of these a good 10+ years ago here in Tennessee. Apparently it was as beautiful of a sight as you would imagine; especially a person who adored hummingbirds.

Approves...Link (new window)

jfarkinB: FTFA:

Kevin Shank also has tips on how to get that perfect nature shot here.

Conspicuously absent from those tips: Start with a $9K lens on a $5K camera.

/no, I probably still wouldn't do as well, even with $14K in equipment
//good job, rich kids

As I read the article I was waiting for the 'shot by wildlife photographer...' and then I saw 'Shot by 2 teens and 2 pre-teens' and totally did a LOLWUT. I thought, how the heck did they do it? Then I saw the bit about the camera's they were using.

/Wish I'd been allowed to play with camera's like that at their age.
//Wish I was allowed to play with camera's like that now at my age.

I thought albinos had pink eyes?

How does a true albino have pigmented eyes?

beautiful! hummingbirds are so hard to photograph. awesome shots.

Gimli_Gloin: I thought albinos had pink eyes?

How does a true albino have pigmented eyes?

It isn't albino, it is Leucistic (new window)

/I only know this because I recently read a BBC news article about a white blackbird in Dublin that has gradually been turning all white over the years
//He is finally all white this year

RogermcAllen: Gimli_Gloin: I thought albinos had pink eyes?

How does a true albino have pigmented eyes?

It isn't albino, it is Leucistic (new window)

/I only know this because I recently read a BBC news article about a white blackbird in Dublin that has gradually been turning all white over the years
//He is finally all white this year

From the article you posted, FWIW:
A further difference between albinism and leucism is in eye colour. Due to the lack of melanin production in both the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and iris, albinos typically have red eyes due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. In contrast, most leucistic animals have normally coloured eyes.

Though I guess it is true that the eyes are not as bright as they typically are in albinism. So meh, it's just a freak.

Welcome for what, I didn't even click on the link.

i just came to post that hummingbirds are cool little birds. when i lived in costa rica we had them in our back yard all the time. we even had a nest in one of our palm trees and one year had little hummingbird babies.

we had a cat and that momma hummingbird used to dive bomb the bird and scare her. fun to watch. every once in a while we had one float thru the house and take a tour.

I saw a guy in Mexico catch a hummingbird in his bare hand last year in a liquor store. That was pretty impressive.
CS, yes.

They are my favorite bird...so tiny and quick.....

FTFA: a Canon EOS1D Mark 4 with a 600ml F4 lens

That'll hold a lot of hummingbirds.

Hmm... The article doesn't mention if they taste good.

Cool pics but would be better if the hummingbird had a black beak that it used to suck the souls out of flowers, best friends, and girlfriends.

/Wish I'd been allowed to play with camera's like that at their age.
//Wish I was allowed to play with camera's like that now at my age.

Yes, you kind of need a SLR and a decent lens to get these, but you don't need to spend thousands. Heck, I got some decent hummingbird pics with a 7 year old Nikon with a micro lens. Market value of about $600 nowadays. Quit giving all the credit to the camera...

They are also tough little territorial bastards.

I used to live in a duplex, and had a hummingbird feeder hanging on the front porch.

When our neighbors were moving in, they used a white conversion van to haul most of their stuff. While they were unloading, hummingbirds were chasing each other away from the feeder. On one pass, the one being chased cleared the van, but the chaser did not - SPLAT. Right into the side of the van, left some feathers behind, and bounced a foot or two away.

And promptly got up, shook himself out, and flew off.

/CSB

booksmart: They are also tough little territorial bastards.

We have flowering maples, trumpet honeysuckle and other goodies in our backyard. The hummingbirds have become so territorial they chase off cats, carnivorous birds (like scrub jays), and even people. It's kinda funny to see grown adults avoid part of our backyard because of a quarter ounce of feathery terror.

Larva Lump: FTFA: a Canon EOS1D Mark 4 with a 600ml F4 lens

That'll hold a lot of hummingbirds.

Shenanigans. That lens'll hold at least a couple of gallons.

booksmart: They are also tough little territorial bastards.

I used to live in a duplex, and had a hummingbird feeder hanging on the front porch.

When our neighbors were moving in, they used a white conversion van to haul most of their stuff. While they were unloading, hummingbirds were chasing each other away from the feeder. On one pass, the one being chased cleared the van, but the chaser did not - SPLAT. Right into the side of the van, left some feathers behind, and bounced a foot or two away.

And promptly got up, shook himself out, and flew off.

/CSB

They probably don't have enough mass to harm themselves by smacking into something. Same reason why a penny won't kill you if it's tossed off the Empire State Building and lands on your head.