[obol] Worrysome Hummingbird distress

[Steve Berliner]

Molly M. and Roger W.
I don't know anything about the possibilities of poisoning in Hummingbirds.  However I have seen a male Anna's Hummingbird, and photographed it, which had his tongue unable to retract.  I took the shot at Portland's Powell Butte Nature Reserve.  When I asked about this condition, someone suggested that he may have suffered a head injury, likely the result of an attack or fight with other hummers.  The tongue is so long it wraps around the back of the skull, and damage to those areas can ruin its tongue.  Interestingly, I noted that my shot showed a very disturbed (ruffled) condition to the side of the head toward the back.  You mentioned the fluffed up condition as well.  Seems like a possibility.

Steve Berliner
forcreeks at earthlink.net
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