Broad-tailed Hummingbird - Selasphorus platycercus

Broad-tailed Hummingbird -- South Dakota Birds

Length: 4.25 inches	Wingspan: 5 inches	Seasonality: Rare visitor
ID Keys: Rosy throat (male), green back and sides, light underparts, female with rufous on sides.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

Despite often inhabiting high open mountain meadows, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird is often heard without being seen, as its wings make an odd metallic trilling when in flight. Highly territorial, they will fiercely defend select patches of wildflowers, with the most common opponent being each other.

Habitat: Primarily found in mountain clearings and forests, up to elevations of 10,000 feet or more. Migrants can be found in a variety of semi-open habitats, both in the mountains and in the lowlands.

Diet: Feeds primarily on nectar. Also will feed on tiny insects, and will drink sap from holes created by sapsuckers.

Breeding: Non-breeder in South Dakota

Song: A musical chip and repeated chattering.

Migrations: Summers throughout much of the inland West of the United States and Mexico, mostly at high elevations. Primarily winters in Mexico.

Similar Species: Calliope Hummingbird

Feeders: Will attend hummingbird feeders for sugar water.

Status: Generally stable throughout it's normal range.

Further Information: 1) USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Broad-tailed Hummingbird