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
2) Cornell University's "All About Birds - Broad-tailed Hummingbird"
3) E-nature.com: Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Photo Information: Photo taken by Doug Backlund (out-of-state)
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Please mail any comments/suggestions/additional links for this page to: Terry L. Sohl
This page was last edited on 02/03/08