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 02/14/2007 12:39:46 PM · #1
I have been watching the birds in my mother's yard and one of them does something I have never seen any bird but a hummingbird do... it hovers.

It flies fast and then just hangs in mid-air for a minute or two, flapping and not moving... then, it takes off again and repeats this process. I know it is not a hummingbird, it is too big.

I have tried to find out what kind of bird this is in the Encyclopedia and I have done an internet search...

I know there is a resident avian specialist around here somewhere...

Could anyone help me??
 02/14/2007 12:45:20 PM · #2
Does she live near any wetlands? Could be a Kingfisher.
 02/14/2007 12:47:04 PM · #3
We are in East Tennessee :) It's beak is not that long and it is smooth feathered... I believe it is a brown colour :)

Message edited by author 2007-02-14 12:48:19.
 02/14/2007 12:48:09 PM · #4
Lots of birds hover like that. What colour is it? What size?
 02/14/2007 12:49:36 PM · #5
Originally posted by KarenNfld:
Lots of birds hover like that. What colour is it? What size?


About the same size as the martins that visit. Brown and white... I will try to get a picture if I see it again but with my camera, you will probably just end up with a blur anyway... LOL
 02/14/2007 12:50:04 PM · #6
Originally posted by Telehubbie:
Does she live near any wetlands? Could be a Kingfisher.


I'm impressed! "Bigger than a hummingbird" and "it hovers" and you come up with a viable candidate.
 02/14/2007 12:54:30 PM · #7
I'm sure that a photograph would help people identify it.

Message edited by author 2007-02-14 12:55:13.
 02/14/2007 12:56:08 PM · #8
Originally posted by MaryO:
Originally posted by Telehubbie:
Does she live near any wetlands? Could be a Kingfisher.


I'm impressed! "Bigger than a hummingbird" and "it hovers" and you come up with a viable candidate.


Thank you! To be more precise, it could be a Belted Kingfisher.
 02/14/2007 01:01:33 PM · #9
Birds usually hover in the act of feeding, or looking for food. It's not unusual to see small raptors hover, in my experience. I actually think, I'm not sure, that most birds are capable of hovering; they just don't do it very often, having no reason to. Here's a tidbit from "Down & Dirty Birding", Joey Slinger, 1996:

Hunting Habits:
-Birds that hover: hummingbirds, kestrel, rough-legged hawk, northern harrier, kingfisher, terns. Others may hover, but don't make a real habit of it.

I've definitely seen terns hover, now that I think of it. Anyway, hovering behavior, in and of itself, doesn't really get us any closer to identifying your bird.

R.
 02/14/2007 01:57:15 PM · #10
Originally posted by Telehubbie:
Originally posted by MaryO:
Originally posted by Telehubbie:
Does she live near any wetlands? Could be a Kingfisher.


I'm impressed! "Bigger than a hummingbird" and "it hovers" and you come up with a viable candidate.


Thank you! To be more precise, it could be a Belted Kingfisher.


THAT'S IT!!! (belted kingfisher) Thank You!!! My mom is going to be so excited!

Message edited by author 2007-02-14 13:57:40.
 02/14/2007 01:59:51 PM · #11
Originally posted by TCGuru:

THAT'S IT!!! (belted kingfisher) Thank You!!! My mom is going to be so excited!


Your welcome! I feel smart now. :-)
 02/14/2007 02:04:20 PM · #12
Originally posted by Telehubbie:
Originally posted by TCGuru:

THAT'S IT!!! (belted kingfisher) Thank You!!! My mom is going to be so excited!


Your welcome! I feel smart now. :-)


You should!! That was fast and accurate :0)
 02/14/2007 02:06:59 PM · #13
Dammit. I woke up too late and didn't get to play! I think telehubbie would have beat me to it anyway. 6 minutes?! I mean, come on, play fair!

=)
 02/14/2007 02:21:30 PM · #14
If I remember correctly a hummingbird is the only bird that can fly "backwards". I assume that many different birds can hover.

By the way...I don't have an answer to your question!

Kenskid

Message edited by author 2007-02-14 14:21:43.
 02/14/2007 03:08:08 PM · #15
A couple links for you. A belted kingfisher doesn't sound like what you were describing but I guess the female could be browner and more boring as females usually are. ;) (female birds that is)

//orientalbirdimages.org/images/data/pied_kingfisher_m_hover_ra.jpg

//sdakotabirds.com/species/photos/belted_kingfisher.JPG
 02/15/2007 08:04:10 AM · #16
Cedar Waxwings hover while catching insects, they are brownish and are the size of a martin. A Belted Kigfisher is about twice the size of a martin, blue, and would only hover over water. Female belteds have two breast band, so are more colorful than the males. Just another thought. Van

Message edited by author 2007-02-15 08:07:10.
 02/15/2007 09:17:38 AM · #17
Originally posted by vtruan:
Cedar Waxwings hover while catching insects, they are brownish and are the size of a martin. A Belted Kigfisher is about twice the size of a martin, blue, and would only hover over water. Female belteds have two breast band, so are more colorful than the males. Just another thought. Van


Ohhhhh...... a Cedar Waxwing huh?? Interesting! I will go out and try to find him/her this afternoon (yesterday was hectic) for a portrait :) That should make all this a lot easier LOLOL
 02/15/2007 09:29:19 AM · #18
I've got a small hovering bird just off my balcony this winter. He's maybe the size of a silver dollar, gives the impression of being very round, and has a shorter-than-a-hummingbird but very narrow and pointed beak, and is a light brown color. I thought it might be a hummer at first, but it's just a bit too big and the wrong season. I have no clue what this thing is.

Message edited by author 2007-02-15 09:30:14.
 02/15/2007 09:43:43 AM · #19
Phoebes hover breifly and snatch insects out of the air.

As for large birds hovering, Kestrels (Smaller version of a hawk) and Kites (like a hawk but white) hover hella up in the air an swoop down on their prey.
 02/15/2007 09:48:56 AM · #20
Originally posted by Greetmir:
A couple links for you. A belted kingfisher doesn't sound like what you were describing but I guess the female could be browner and more boring as females usually are. ;) (female birds that is)

//orientalbirdimages.org/images/data/pied_kingfisher_m_hover_ra.jpg

//sdakotabirds.com/species/photos/belted_kingfisher.JPG


Believe it or not, belted kingfishers are one of the few birds where the female is more colourful than the male- she has belts of both rufous and blue, where he only has the blue.
 02/15/2007 10:34:49 AM · #21
Originally posted by Rebecca:
I've got a small hovering bird just off my balcony this winter. He's maybe the size of a silver dollar, gives the impression of being very round, and has a shorter-than-a-hummingbird but very narrow and pointed beak, and is a light brown color. I thought it might be a hummer at first, but it's just a bit too big and the wrong season. I have no clue what this thing is.


Rebecca,

Last year Grand Junction had two wintering hummers, both were at feeders that were heated and they survived the cold below -15 degrees. Interesting was any hummer would be rare in winter, but the two species Anna's and Costa's are very rare in Colorado anytime. So, it is possible that a hummer might be around. Not sure, but if you have a hummer feeder, ya could put it up and see.

Van
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