Name That Hummingbird

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Adult Male… © 2005-2008 T. Beth Kinsey – http://fireflyforest.net

Adult Male in Flight… © 2007 Don Getty – calphotos.berkeley.edu

Female at Nest… http://nemesisbird.blogspot.com

Broad-Billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris)…

The Broad-billed hummingbirds are medium sized – the mature adults are 3½ inches in length.

The male Broad-Billed Hummingbird has a long, thin, red bill that becomes black at the tip and broadens at the base. His head, upperparts, and breast are predominantly metallic green, with mostly white undertail coverts. His tail is darkly colored and slightly forked. His throat is a deep metallic blue.

The female Broad-Billed Hummingbird has long, thin, dark bill with a broad, reddish lower mandible. She has a thin white line behind her eye, and a grayish throat and underparts. Her upperparts and sides are metallic green. Her tail has pale outer tips.

The juvenile Broad-Billed Hummingbirds are nearly identical to the adult females, except the young males have some blue feathers at their throats.

Adult Female – © 2005-2008 T. Beth Kinsey http://fireflyforest.net

Bird watchers note that the female Broad-billed hummingbird’s broad red lower mandible make it fairly easy to distinguish her from the females of other species. Although the White-eared hummingbird females have a similar white stripe behind the ear, the Broad-Billed’s stripe is much wider.

The female constructs the nest and raises the young. She locates the nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree, and uses plant fibers, down, and weed stems, and then strengthens it with lichens and spider webs.

She lays two white jelly-bean sized eggs, which she will incubate for two to three weeks. The young will leave the nest about three weeks after hatching. Amazingly, she will continue to feed the fledglings for several more weeks, then the young are left to fend for themselves.

Broad-billed hummingbirds are partially migratory, retreating from northernmost areas during winter.

Acknowledgements:
www.wikipedia.com www.usgs.gov
& www.usgs.gov

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Video… “Broad-Billed Hummingbird"

Thanks to FwnBrstBrilliant for posting this video on www.YouTube.com

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