Day 233: Broad-tailed Hummingbird

We saw so many Broad-tailed Hummingbirds during our Colorado trip, and they always brought a smile to my face. Several seemed very curious; if someone in our group was wearing a red shirt, for instance, there would often be a hummingbird fly by to check it out. At one point I saw two parent hummingbirds feeding a young hummingbird. It was one of the cutest things ever, but unfortunately they were gone before I could get a photo. We also saw a recently emptied hummingbird nest, which was very tiny.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the major breeding hummingbird of higher elevations in the southern and central Rocky Mountains, eastern California, and Mexico. Males and females both have iridescent green backs and crowns and a white breast. The male has a brilliant red throat patch.

I love these hummingbirds even more now, because I got to hold one in my hand!! We were so lucky to meet a native Colorado birder during our trip who invited us to his bird banding station. It was such a cool experience; Jared and I both got to hold several birds before they were banded with tiny foot rings. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird felt like a feather in my hand, it was so light.