Search Results for: hummingbird

Introduction The Lucifer hummingbird, also known as the Lucifer sheartail due to the male’s long, narrow forked tail, is a medium-sized hummingbird that lives in high-altitude deserts. You’ll have a hard time finding them in North America, as they have a limited distribution there and are found mainly found in Mexico. I live in an

Introduction Costa’s is a bright little hummer, a bird that, once seen, you could not mistake for anything else. Arguably the prettiest North American hummer, the male has a brilliant purple throat with trailing feathers and a white line above the eye. Combined with a head-on look, this gives you the impression that you are

The naming of birds has always been interesting to me. Some birds are named after people, such as the Cooper’s Hawk (named after 19th-century naturalist William Cooper), or Bonaparte’s Gull (named after Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who happened to be the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte!). Alexander Wilson, considered by many to be the Father of

On the hunt for hummers? Who isn’t? These agile jewels are as intriguing as they are stunning. Hummingbirds were the first family of birds to spark my interest in ornithology, so I am especially keen to write about them. I love hummingbirds because you can begin your hunt right in your backyard with an affordable

Info This is a rather unique-looking hummingbird species because they don’t have the typical bright metallic and iridescent throat feathers that hummingbirds are known for. Instead, with an intense violet crown, white throat, and red bill, they look slightly cartoonish. This is also another hummingbird species that barely makes it into North America and has

Any time I am out on a bird-watching hike, or even when I am just sitting in my backyard on a sunny afternoon, I am entranced when I spot a hummingbird. These tiny creatures hardly seem real, zipping about in fast flight or hovering at a flower or feeder. When watching one, I feel like

If you’ve never heard of Rivoli’s Hummingbird, that’s because it’s undergone a few name changes over time. From Rivoli’s to Magnificent to Rivoli’s again, let me explain. Rivoli’s Hummingbird first received its name in 1829, when natural historian René-Primevère Lesson named this bird in honor of the second Duke of Rivoli. The Duke was an

As a birdwatcher living in Colorado, I have always had to be satisfied with seeing the few species of hummingbird that can be found here–primarily the Black-chinned Hummingbird and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Occasionally I might be able to spot a Rufous Hummingbird as they are migrating through our fair state, headed either to the Pacific