Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird Facts
| Size | 3.2-3.8 inches (83-97 mm) |
| Speed | Up to 30 mph (48 km/h) |
| Weight | 0.1-0.14 ounces (3-4 grams) |
| Lifespan | 3-5 years |
| Food | Nectar, insects |
| Predators | Falcons, snakes, lizards |
| Distribution | Texas, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Mexico |
| Habitat | Open forests |
| Order | Apodiformes |
| Family | Hummingbirds |
| Scientific name | Selasphorus platycercus |
| Characteristics | One of the smallest hummingbirds |
Characteristics and Features
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a unique species that stands out from others. It produces a distinctive, metallic 'trill' with its wings while hovering. Additionally, it is a true mountain expert, thriving at altitudes of 9,840 feet (3,000 meters). The icy cold doesn't bother it at all. Despite its tiny size, it is quite brave and fiercely defends its territory. The name comes from its particularly wide tail feathers.
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a "North-South traveler." In the summer, it resides in the western United States, where it is most commonly found in the Rocky Mountains. It can be spotted in all western states: Colorado, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Wyoming. The best time to observe it is from April to September. As the first frost causes the flowers in the Rocky Mountains to wither and winter arrives, it migrates southward to Mexico and Guatemala.
Habitat
Broad-tailed fairies favor open forest areas featuring pines, oaks, cypresses, firs, along with shrubs and flowering bushes.
Lifestyle
Broad-tailed fairies are diurnal. By around one year of age, these little hummingbirds reach sexual maturity and start looking for a mate. However, they only come together during the breeding season. For the rest of the time, they are solitary.
Anatomy and Appearance
Size and Weight
Broad-tailed fairies measure 3.2-3.8 inches (83-97 mm) in body length and have a wingspan of 4.7-5.5 inches (12-14 cm). They weigh merely 0.1-0.14 ounces (3-4 grams).
Tail Feathers
The broad-tailed fairy is easily distinguishable from other hummingbirds due to its particularly wide tail feathers.
Eyes
A distinctive feature of this species is the white eye ring.
Male Hummingbirds
The males exhibit brilliant feathers on their throats that shine in a stunning pink or ruby red.
Female Hummingbirds
The females have spotted cheeks. Their plumage is rather inconspicuous, featuring soft pastel shades of green and brown.
Adaptation to Habitat
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the only hummingbird that lives at altitudes of up to 9,840 feet (3,000 meters). It has adapted to the extremely thin air and lower temperatures:
- Torpor (cold sleep): helps survive the cold night
- Large Wings: generates more lift in thin air
- Large Heart: better circulates the limited oxygen throughout the body
- Dense Plumage: provides insulation against the cold
- Special Hemoglobin (a blood protein): can absorb oxygen more effectively in thin air
Diet
The broad-tailed hummingbird is a herbivore. More specifically, it is a nectar feeder. Its primary diet consists of flower nectar. Occasionally, it also consumes tiny spiders or insects like mosquitoes, flies, and aphids.
Behavior
Particular Preference for Red
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have a strong affinity for the color red, quite literally. They prefer to visit red flowers with deep openings. These flowers are difficult for insects to access due to their long tubular shape, but they provide an ideal food source for the hummingbird and its long tongue.
Strong Territorial Behavior
Despite weighing only 0.1-0.14 ounces (3-4 grams), they are very brave and aggressively defend their feeding areas against rivals and even larger birds.
Migration
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds travel long distances every year. Those that breed in the summer in the USA (e.g., Colorado, Wyoming) migrate thousands of kilometers to the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala for the winter.
Senses and Abilities
Trilling Flight Sound
How Is it Created?
Male broad-tailed hummingbirds produce a metallic, shrill, trilling sound while flying. It resembles the chirping of crickets! This sound originates from their wing tips, specifically when air flows through them in a certain way, causing the tips to vibrate.
Quite Loud!
The trilling can be heard by other males even from 50 meters away. Females seem to have better hearing: they can still detect it when they are 75 meters away. After summer, the wing tips become worn, which makes the sound quieter or even inaudible. However, the feathers regrow by the breeding season in the following spring.
Masters of Altitude
These hummingbirds are true artists of height. While many other birds migrate to lower elevations in cold weather, broad-tailed hummingbirds are often found at altitudes of up to 9,840 feet (3,000 meters) and beyond in the Rocky Mountains.
Torpor (Cold Sleep)
To survive the cold nights in the mountains, broad-tailed hummingbirds enter a state of torpor. They lower their body temperature from 102.2-104° Fahrenheit (39-40° Celsius) to 62.6-54° Fahrenheit (17-12.2° Celsius). Their heart rate, breathing, and metabolic rate slow down. This way, they conserve up to 60-90% of their energy.
Escaping the Cold Air
At 9,840 feet (3,000 meters), there are valleys where cold air collects while it is warmer higher up. This phenomenon is known as an “inversion weather pattern” (from the Latin “inversio” meaning “reversal”). Females cope with the cold because they are well protected in their warm nests. But what do the Males do? They fly up for the night, where the air is warmer. This allows them to save 15% of their energy.
Life Expectancy
Typically, the lifespan of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird is around 2 years. In 1976, a female in Colorado (USA) was fitted with a small identification ring and was recaptured in 1987! This Broad-tailed Hummingbird lived for at least 12 years, setting the record for the oldest hummingbird.
Enemies and Threats
Natural Enemies
The main predators of the Broad-tailed Hummingbird are the Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Steller's Jay. The hawk preys on adult birds, while the jay raids their nests.
Humans
According to an estimate by the IUCN in 2022, there are about 10,000,000 adult birds. Therefore, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird is not considered endangered.
Reproduction
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds breed for the first time at one year of age. After mating, the female constructs a cup-shaped nest and lays two eggs. The male does not participate further. After an incubation period of 16-19 days, the chicks hatch. The nest becomes too small after just twelve days, so the mother must sleep beside the nest at night. After a total of 25 days, the young hummingbirds leave the nest.
The Broad-Tailed Hummingbird Is Related to:
- Allen's Hummingbird
- Bumblebee Hummingbird
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Glow-Throated Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Volcano Hummingbird
- Wine-Throated Hummingbird
Animals in the Same Habitat:
- Bluebird
- Marmot
- Mule Deer
- Northern Nutcracker
- Sharp-Shinned hawk
- Squirrels
- Steller's Jay
- Pika
Sources:
- Exploring the ‘Most Effective Pollinator Principle’ with Complex Flowers: Bumblebees and Ipomopsis aggregata (https://www.sciencedirect.com)
- Flight Performance and Competitive Displacement of Hummingbirds across Elevational Gradients (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu)
- Synchronization of speed, sound and iridescent color in a hummingbird aerial courtship dive (https://www.researchgate.net)
- USE OF TORPOR IN A HIGH-AND MID-ELEVATION HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA (https://www.researchgate.net)
- Asynchronous changes in phenology of migrating Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and their early-season nectar resources (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
