HUMMINGBIRDS: Family Trochiltdae [ 3 63 



Broad-tailed Hummingbird: 



Selasphorus platycercus platycercus (Swainson) 



DESCRIPTION.- "Adult male: Gorget without elongated sides, deep rose fink; top of bead 

 bronzy g r e en like back and middle tail feathers; other tail feathers purplish black, 

 some of them edged with rufous; under parts whitish, sides glossed with green. Adult 

 female and young: upper parts bronzy green; under parts whitish, the throat with dark 

 specks, sometimes with a few central feathers like gorget of male; sides brownish; 

 three outer tail feathers rufous at base, with a black subterminal band and white tip; 

 a touch of green on the second and third feather between the rufous and black, the 

 fourth feather green but marked with a terminal or subterminal spot of black, and 

 edged with rufous, tip often white. Male: length 4.00-4.15, wing 1.91^.05, tail 

 1.40-1.60, bill .62.-. 70. Female: length 4.10-4.70, wing z.oo-z.io, tail 1.45-1.50, 

 bill .70-. 7Z." (Bailey) Nest: Usually within 15 feet of the ground, made of vege- 

 table down, covered with lichens, bark, leaves, and plant fiber. Eggs: z, white. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from southern Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to 

 Mexico. Winters in Mexico. In Oregon: Rare summer visitor found only in ex- 

 treme eastern part of State. 



ALTHOUGH Bendire (iSf^a) and Woodcock (1902.) mentioned probable 

 Oregon records, our information concerning the status of the Broad- 

 tailed Hummingbird (Plate 65, 5) is meager and quite unsatisfactory. 

 Preble (ms.) noted it several times in various localities in southern Mal- 

 heur County between June 9 and July 2.5, 1915, and Sheldon (ms.) saw it 

 in the Steens Mountains in July and August 1916. The authors together 

 saw an adult male in Wallowa County, July 2.7, 19x1, and Jewett has seen 

 the species at Adel, Lake County. Like the Black-chinned Humming- 

 bird, this species would doubtless be detected more frequently if more 

 observers were available in the eastern part of the State. 



Rufous Hummingbird: 



Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin) 



DESCRIPTION. "Adult male: Gorget fire red, orange, and brassy green; general body 

 color bright reddish brown, glossed with bronzy green on crown and sometimes back, 

 and fading to white next to gorget and on belly; tail feathers rufous, with dark 

 mesial streaks; middle tail feather broad, pointed at tip, second from middle deeply 

 notched on inner web, sinuated on outer web. Adult female: upper parts bronzy and rufous, 

 rufous on rump and tail coverts; under parts whitish, throat sometimes with a few 

 central brilliant feathers; sides shaded with rufous; tail feathers rufous at base, the 

 middle ones green nearly to base; outer ones with broad blackish subterminal band 

 and white tips; outside feather more than .10 wide. Young males similar to adult 

 female, but feathers of upper parts edged with rusty, rump rufous, and throat show- 

 ing specks of metallic red. Young females: similar to young males, but rump green 

 and throat specked only with green. Male: length 3.15-3.70, wing 1.50-1.60, tail 

 1.30-1.35, bill .60. Female: length 3.50-3.90, wing 1.75-1.80, tail 1.15-1.30, bill 

 .65-. 70." (Bailey) Nest: Of plant fiber and down, decorated with moss or lichens, 

 usually close to the ground, often in bushes overhanging banks (Plate 66). Eggs: 

 Usually z, white. 



