Common Nighthawk 



Kenneth W. Fink 



CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD (Stellula calliope) 



In open portions of the lodgepole forest, particularly in Grand Teton, a 

 moth-sized, green-backed hummingbird flits from flower to flower. This 

 is the calliope hummingbird. Weighing only one-tenth of an ounce and 

 measuring barely three inches, the calliope is the smallest of our native 

 hummingbirds. The wingbeats of hummingbirds exceed 55 beats per sec- 

 ond, and they alone are capable of backward flight. The calliope humming- 

 bird occurs primarily in meadows at lower and medium elevations within 

 the lodgepole forest. This species generally prefers red flowers and demon- 

 strates a particular preference for gilia, monkeyflower, and paintbrush. 

 The male calliope hummingbird is our only hummingbird with a streaked 

 throat pattern, while the female is bronze-green above with a tinge of 

 reddish brown on the underparts, flanks, and at the base of the tail. 



Belted Kingfisher 



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