Two birds visited on the same day. Each was emblematic of its status: one, a model of drabness; the other, the epitome of bling. It says a good deal for the versatility of evolution that each was rather well suited to the conditions it faced.
The female House Finch is drab. It seems to rely heavily upon being inconspicuous.
The male Rufous Hummingbird wears bling: an iridescent gorget of pink, red, yellow, and green.
The house finch is drab but you’ve shown us how intricate her drabness, if there is such a word, really is.
Lorna, yours is a fascinating observation. It reminds me of observations of the Gadwall (see, a picture at Potpourii)—a bird which looks uniformly drab from a distance, but upon closer examination, is really detailed.