[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.75 in.]

This Broaad-billed Hummingbird was photographed at Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center, McAllen, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: May 3, 2014)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are common throughout the mountains and foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the western US. The males make a loud ringing sound (much like an old-fashioned tricycle bell) with their wings as they fly to proclaim and defend their territory. Hummingbirds get their name from the low humming sound produced by their rapidly beating wings. There are a number of birds that can hover, but Hummingbirds are the only ones that can actually fly backwards. Male Hummingbirds have iridescent coloring on the throat or gorget. Most colors in nature are created by chemical compounds called pigments that look the same from any direction. However, iridescent coloring is created by the physical structure of the feather reflecting and refracting the light, and the color can only be seen when the feathers are facing directly towards the observer. When the bird turns its head even slightly in either direction, the color disappears and the feathers appear black. The effect is similar to a mirror reflecting bright light into your eyes. If the mirror is turned even slightly, the bright light disappears. Females lack this coloring since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed at Beatty's Lodge, Miller Canyon, Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 70-200mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=285mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: August 6, 2007)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

This male was photographed in a mountain meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. The brilliant gorget has been enhanced by combining the elements of two separate photos in the "computer darkroom" with Adobe PhotoShop software. Photos taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 200 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1992)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are common throughout the mountains and foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the western US. The female Hummingbird lays her eggs in a well-constructed nest woven from silky plant fibers and held together with the silk from spider webs. The outside of the nest is "decorated" with lichens. The diet of adult Hummingbirds is a combination of flower nectar and small insects. They will also take sap from the holes drilled in trees by woodpeckers (particularly Sapsuckers), and will readily come to sugar-water feeders that are hung in an open area. Young Hummingbirds, however, are fed diets consisting mostly of insects until they fledge from the nest to provide the protein necessary for growth and development. Females lack the brilliant throat coloring of the males since they do not display to attract a mate. However, females usually have white spots in the tail feathers that they use to display to other Hummingbirds, particularly when they compete for food sources, such as flowers and feeders. This female was photographed on her nest in the foothills of southern Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a 500mm f8 Nikkor mirror lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1986)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

This male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed in a mountain meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Photos taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 200 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1992)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

This female Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed on a branch near her nest in the Wet Mountains, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 500 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: June 1986)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

This male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed at Beatty's Lodge, Miller Canyon, Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: August 6, 2007)

[Length 4 in. Wingspan 5.25 in.]

This male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was photographed at Beatty's Lodge, Miller Canyon, Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: August 6, 2007)