We all had a name for him. He was a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and all of the other Rufous-tailed Hummers had glorious tails. Not Stubby. Or whatever other moniker we gave him. He had only the slightest hint of tail feathers. He seemed to have had a bad molt; or an unfortunate encounter with something that grabbed out his tail feathers. Whatever the reason, he stayed mostly hidden in the Rabo de Gato hedge near the back of the garden area, never coming to the feeders. When he buzzed around the flowers, someone would call out “Rufous-tail!” and when we realized it was Stubby, we’d stop shooting. Poor guy. No wonder he lurked in the shadows. He was developing a complex as being unphotogenic! There were encouraging signs, though. By our third day there we could see noticeable stubs of tail feathers. And, in this image, the keratin sheaths that cover his emerging feathers are clearly visible on his tail and on his head. I’m sure by now Stubby would be unrecognizable to us and he is likely sporting that glorious rufous tail.