Listen carefully for the wing trill of this male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). It's an identifying feature, as is his constant chatter while he feeds. Wingbeat analysis indicates a wingbeat of 62-65 bps in this sample.
A young male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) has established a territory at my feeders. He announces that he's "taken over" by continually chattering this one-note warning. When another hummer of any species enters his airspace, he "bounces" them by rushing at them and emitting the high-pitched warning beeps you hear near the end of this sample! Attentive listeners will hear a Flicker in the distance on the first sample.
If intruders ignore his one-note warning, a male gets more aggressive and challenges them with a severe tongue lashing ! This routine is so effective that after a few days, virtually no other hummers come into his area and all he needs to do to maintain it is sing his one-note samba. Rufous hummers are both aggressive and intolerant of other species at the feeder. His wingbeat here measures a fairly fast 60 bps.