Broad-tailed Hummingbird

1/400s at f8.0 ISO:400, Canon Mark III 1Ds w/800mm, x1.4 converter


The Broad-tailed hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird. Male and female both have iridescent green backs, crowns and a white breast. The male has a throat patch that shines with a brilliant red iridescence. The female is much duller with rust-colored, mottled flanks and underside. Females\' tail feathers are tipped with a band of white. In flight the male\'s wings produce a distinct trilling sound diagnostic for this species. The summer range of the Broad-tailed hummingbird extends across mountain forests and meadows throughout the Western United States, specifically the Great Basin region and southwards; the resident birds range from the cordilleran mountain areas of northern Mexico as far south as Guatemala. At summer\'s end the northerly birds migrate and over winter in the southern part of their range. The typical hummingbird diet consists of nectar and insects found at flower blossoms. The nest is a small cup of plant fibers woven together and bound to a branch with collected spider webs. The female lays two plain white eggs that she alone will incubate for 16 days. Young Broad-tailed hummingbirds fledge about 23 days after hatching.
Rocky Mountain N.P., CO
 
06/07/2009