Large Brown Hummingbirds?

by William
(Saint Paul, MN)

I feed hummingbirds and thought I had a group of immature Humingbirds. However, they are slightly larger than a Ruby Throated Hummingbird (3.5 inches max total length), totally brown (milk chocolate color/medium brown), no markings at all. Beak is very much like a Hummingbird, tail is shaped more like a Chickodee (very narrow about 1/3 of total bird length). I thought it may be in the Nuthatch family, it is too small and tail is too narrow. It flits in and out of my low bushes and I got a good look at it when it came to rest on the arm of a lawn chair. It sat there for quite some time making a raspy or clicking sound (rapid clicks). Flight is hard to follow, much like a Nuthatch. Cannot find it in my bird books, can anyone help? So far no picture, saw for first time this week.



Comment
Some day-flying sphinx moths resemble hummingbirds and people often mistake them for hummers. We have them in the evenings, when they feed on the honeysuckle. My husband insists they are hummers...but they're not. From your description that might be who is visiting you.
Does it resemble this at all?
Hummingbird moth