Broad-tailed Humming-bird 253 
into a ruff; female with white-tipped tail; a certain amount of rufous 
in the plumage, especially at the base of the tail in both sexes. 
Three well-known species are found in the United States; for key, 
see p. 251. 
Broad-tailed Humming-bird. Selasphorus platycercus. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 432—Colorado Records—Allen 72, pp. 151, 158, 
163, 180; Aiken 72, p. 206; Coues & Trippe 74, p. 272; Henshaw 
75, p. 377; Coues 78, p. 95; Scott 79, p. 95; Minot 80, p. 232; Tresz 
81, p. 185 (TL. colubris); Drew 81, p. 140; 85, p.17; Allen & Browster 
83, p. 196; Morrison 86, p. 153; 88, p. 107; 89, p. 146; Kellogg 90, 
p- 88; Ridgway 90, p. 350; Bendire 92, p. 210; Lowe 92, p. 101; 
94, p. 268; McGregor 97, p. 38; Cooke 97, pp. 86, 208; Keyser 02, 
pp. 103, 230; Dille 03, p. 74; Henderson 03, p. 235; 09, p. 232; 
Gilman 07, p. 154; Rockwell 08, p. 165; Warren 07, p. 81; 08, p. 21; 
09, p. 15; Frey 09, p. 70. 
Description. _Male.—Above, including the crown and middle tail- 
feathers, metallic green; wings dusky purplish, the outer primary 
narrowed and pointed, the apex turned slightly outwards; the next 
also attenuated but less so; lateral tail-feather dusky purplish with 
sometimes a slight edging of chestnut; tail graduated, the middle- 
feathers broad and obtusely pointed ; gorget metallic crimson to pur- 
plish-red ; below greyish-white with a little golden-green on the sides, 
Length 3-9; wing 2-0; tail 1-25; culmen -6. 
The female is green above like the male ; the outer primary is narrow, 
but with no special attenuation ; the lateral tail-feathers are chestnut 
at the base, then purplish-black with white tips; there is no gorget, 
the throat is spotted with dark or greenish specks; there is no green 
below, but a wash of rufous, which is not nearly so marked, however, 
as in S. rufus. 
Distribution.—The Rocky Mountain regions from Idaho and Wyoming 
south to Arizona and New Mexico, east to the foothills of Colorado, west 
to the Sierra Nevada ; in winter south over Mexico to Guatemala. 
The Broad-tailed Humming-bird is the only species commonly met 
with in Colorado. It arrives early in May; Aiken notes May 5th, 
near Fountain, Rockwell the same date for Mesa co. as the earliest. It 
nests everywhere, from, the foothills up to 10,000 or 11,000 feet, and 
wanders higher, often above timber line, but it is most common between 
7,000 and 9,000 feet. It departs again in September, the males leaving 
some little time before the females and young birds. It was seen as 
late as October 15th by Rockwell in Mesa co. It has not been met 
with on the eastern plains. Nesting records are: Estes Park (McGregor), 
Boulder co., foothills to 10,000 feet (Gale), Glen Eyrie, near Colorado 
Springs, 6,500 feet (W. L. Sclater), Twin Lakes (Scott), Wet Mountains 
