HUMMINGBIRDS 



KEY TO ADULT MALE TROCHILUS. 



1. Throat velvety black. Rocky Mountains to the Pacific. 



alexandri, p. 235. 

 1'. Throat metallic crimson. Plains to Atlantic . . . colubris, p. 235. 



Subgenus Trochilus. 



428. Trochilus colubris Linn. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 



Adult male. — Chin velvety l)l;u'k. scale's of f/ofief hrilliinit rrini.son. upper 

 parts bronzy green ; under 

 parts dark gray g-lossed with 

 green ; wing- with six inner 

 primaries abruptly " shorter 

 than the rest. Adult female : 

 tail with middle feathers all 

 green, the rest g-reen basally, 

 then black ; three outer pairs 

 broadly tipped with white. 

 Young male : similar to adult 

 female, but throat streaked 

 with dusky, and feathers of 

 upper parts edged with pale 

 huffy. Young female : sim- 

 ilar, but throat without 

 streaks, and tail more 

 rounded. Male : leng-th 3.07- 

 3.-jr), wing- 1.00, tail 1.25, tail 

 forked for about .;!0-.35, ex- 

 posed culmen .55-.65. Fe- 

 male : leng-th 3.50-3.85, wing- 

 1.80, tail 1.20, bill .70. 



Distribution. — Breeds 

 from the Atlantic to western 

 parfs of Nebraska and Texas, 

 and from Labrador south to 

 Florida ; migfrates to Cuba. Mexico, and Central America. 



Xeat. — A felted cup of soft vegetable fibers coated with lichen and 

 fastened with web ; saddled on to a twig- or snudl branch of a tree, usually 

 10 to 20 feet from the ground. Egg.'i : 2, white. 



Food. — Largely minute spiders and insects. 



The ruby-throated hummingbird lias been reported as breeding in 

 tlie westiTn parts of Nebraska and Texas. 



429. Trochilus alexandri Jiourc. A- Muls. Black-chinned Hum- 



mi Ncr.iitD. 

 Adult iiudi . — (iorget ahore opat/ue velvetij Idack. Inlow metallic violet gUt- 

 tering' with pnri)le. blue, and peacock green lights; upper parts 

 greenish ; under jiarts s<»ilf(l whitish, green on sides. Adult 

 female : upjier ])arts bron/y green ; under parts g:rayish ; 

 tail much rounded, middle pair of feathers about tlie long^est 

 and wholly green, next two feathers green tii)ped with black, 

 outer three tipped with white. Young : similar to adult female, 

 but feathers of upper parts tij)pcd witli bnfVy or rusty and 

 throat of male stn-akcd with dusUv. M<d> : lengtli :!.;;o"-;}.T'), 

 1.75. tail 1.2.".. bill .70-.75. Female: length ;:.'.»(i-4. 10, wing 1.UO-2.00. 



