HUMMINGBIRDS OF CENTRAL AMERICA

Broad-Tailed Hummingbird

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Selasphorus Platycercus

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Males have a glossy green head and upper plumage, buffy-green sides, rosy-red throat patch with a brilliant red iridescence, and some rusty color on their broad tail.

They have a white line from chin to their eye rings and neck. Their wings produce a distinct trilling sound when in flight.

Females are much duller than males. They have a glossy green upper plumage, iridescent green or bronze speckles on their throat and upper chest, rusty-colored sides and their underside ranges from whitish to orange-brown.

Central tail feathers are green, outer tail feathers are rusty at the base, black in the middle and white at the tip, tails projects well beyond their wingtips.

Juveniles look like the females, but have more spotting on their throat.

BILL: black, long and straight.

SIZE: medium-sized, with an average length of 4 - 4.5 inches including the tail. their wingspan is about 5 inches.

WEIGHT: weighs between 2-4 grams, males about 3.16 grams, and females which are typically larger weigh around 3.6 grams.

COLOR: glossy green, buffy-green, rosy-red, iridescent brilliant red, rust, bronze, orange-brown, black and white.

NECTAR from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes.

INSECTS small spiders and insects.

High-elevation meadows, shrubby habitats near pine-oak and evergreen forests, and forest openings within pinyon-juniper, oak woodlands, and evergreen forests