Broad-Tailed Hummingbird

Description:

As pictured, the male is medium sized, with bright red gorget covering chin and neck...front and sides. It has a white collar, with iridescent green back. The female has a white throat speckled with iridescent green (3rd photo above).

Habitat:

These birds were spotted in Central City, Colorado, at an elevation of about 8,500 feet. This is a middle alpine area in the Rockies, west of Denver, Colorado.

Notes:

According to the 'locals' in Central City, these birds arrive in the spring, and leave in the fall. According to online sources, they migrate to Mexico and Central America during the winter months. Males make an unmistakable trilling noise with their wingtips. Like most hummingbirds, Broad-tails survive the cold in their high-elevation habitats by slowing their heart rate, and dropping their body temperature while perched at night.