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| A female hummingbird waits patiently for the feeder. |
HUMMINGBIRDS.
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| What I think is a female Rufous flies from the feeder after a long sip of sugar water. |
Then, there's that breathtaking ability to dart in, out, up, down, forward, backward and even hover in a stationary position for what must seem like an eternity for a tiny bird that seems always to be in motion.
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| White-tipped tail feathers indicate a female. |
Of those, the most common in Colorado and Wyoming are:
1. Black-Chinned
2. Broad-Tailed
3. Rufous
4. Calliope
[I should probably warn you now that I got a new phone with a nifty new camera (Samsung Galaxy S9)
and what better way to learn how to use it than with hummingbirds at several feeders at my folk's mountain cabin.]
[I should also probably advise you that while I try very hard to be accurate in my identifications, I'm a beginner and just as likely to be completely incorrect. That's my accuracy disclaimer.]
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| A Black-Chinned hummer returns to the feeder after a brief rain. |
The males have a velvety black throat and a dull metallic green body.
Females have a pale throat and tail feathers with white tips.
This species likes to breed in cool mountain environments although this is one of the most adaptable of all hummingbirds, found in urban areas, recently disturbed habitat as well as pristine natural areas.
The oldest known Black-Chinned Hummingbird was 11 years, 2 months, when it was recaptured and released during banding operations in Texas.
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| A rose-red throat identifies this hummer as a Broad-Tailed Hummingbird. |
This species prefers mountain forests and meadows and departs in late August/early September south to winter in Mexico, Guatemala and occasionally El Salvador.
The males display rose-red throats, white chests, metallic green backs and crowns and rounded tails.
Females have no red and are instead pale with white-tipped outer feathers.
Because of that beautiful rose-red throat, they are often called "the jewel of high mountain meadows!"
They also make a buzzing/whistling sound when they fly.
On cold nights, they, as do other hummingbirds, slow their heart rate and drop their body temperature entering a state of torpor--a slowed metabolic state.
They are the longest-lived species with one female over 12 years, 2 months old. She was recaptured and released during a banding operation in Colorado in 1987. She was first banded in Colorado in 1976.
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| The Rufous flies fearlessly, chasing away other hummingbirds. |
The Rufous arrives later than other hummingbirds and makes one of the longest journeys of any bird in the world as measured by body size.
It is a curious trip, a clockwise circuit of North America, moving up the Pacific coast in late winter/early spring, reaching Washington and British Columbia by May. Some even continue on to Alaska before beginning to move down the chain of Rocky Mountains, arriving here, in Wyoming/Colorado, about July.
They, too, depart around late August and continue their trip south to Mexico. From Alaska to Mexico-- over 3,900 miles!
Rufous males are bright orange with glossy red throats. Females have whitish speckled throats, green backs and crowns and white tipped feathers. They are about 8 cm long and have long straight bills.
While they are the most aggressive of the hummingbirds, often chasing other species away from feeders, they have an excellent memory for location, i.e. returning to previous feeder locations, even if feeders have been moved.
The oldest Rufous was a female aged 8 years, 11 months, caught and released during banding operations in British Columbia.
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| The Calliope species, though very small, travel south to Mexico. |
Identified by the magenta rays bursting from the throats of the males, it dances and hovers, performing U-shaped display dives for females.
During these displays he makes a sputtering buzz with his tail feathers and gives a sharp zinging call.
This is the smallest bird in the U.S. and yet travels more than 5,000 miles to pine-oak forests in Mexico and back again. What a feat for a tiny bird that weighs about the same as a ping-pong ball!
Calliope Hummingbird is named after Calliope, the muse of eloquence and epic poetry, who inspired Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
The oldest Calliope was a female aged 8 years, 1 month old, when she was recaptured and released during banding operations in Idaho in 2014. She had been banded in the same state in 2007.
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| A male Rufous Hummingbird with his glossy orange throat displays his extraordinary flight skills. |
They are also fond of the yummy protein found in gnats, flies, mosquitoes and spiders.
Speaking of spiders, I was amazed to learn that hummers use spiderweb silk to build and anchor their tiny nests. Spiderweb silk also allow the nests to expand as the hummingbirds grow from eggs the size of jellybeans to full size in just a few weeks.
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| Mind the bee as hummingbirds dive in and around the feeder. |
Feeders
I would be remiss not to include a few notes about feeding hummingbirds.
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| Hummingbirds love my Dad's sugar-water formula, which is a little sweeter than some. |
4 parts water to
1 part sugar.
DO NOT USE
organic sugar
brown sugar
powdered sugar
honey or
red dye
Just plain white sugar and water.
It's also a good idea to clean the feeder every few days and refill with the sugar mixture that can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
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| Hummingbirds swarm the feeders in late afternoon/dusk to fill up before settling in for the night. |
