Part 31

BLACK SWIFT.—Family Micropodidæ. 422. Cypseloides niger borealis. 7 inches.

The plumage of the Swift is a dull sooty black, somewhat lighter on the under parts. The tail is slightly forked and does not have the spines which are usual with this family. Although the general habits of this species are well known, but little is known of their nesting; they are seen during the breeding season about the higher ranges of their United States range, and are supposed to nest in the crevices of cliffs at high altitudes.

VAUX SWIFT. 424. Chætura vauxi. 4½ inches.

This small Swift is not nearly as common as the preceding, is much paler in color and white on the under parts and throat. Their habits are much like the last, only that they make use of hollow trees in which to place their nests, which are made of twigs glued to the tree with the glutinous saliva of the birds, forming a very shallow platform in which they deposit three or four pure white eggs. They are on the wing much of the time during the day catching insects, or several pairs seemingly at play in the air, generally at quite high elevations, toward dusk returning to their nesting places.

WHITE-THROATED SWIFT. 425. Aeronautes melanoleucus. 6½ inches.

A handsome bird, in fact, the most beautiful and graceful of this family. Its flight is very rapid, and they congregate in thousands about the tops of inaccessible cliffs, where in small burrows in the earth or under the sods, or in crevices they build their nests, which are generally made of roots and grasses and lined with feathers. Four or five dull white eggs are laid (.85 × .50).

Range.—Western United States, mostly in the Rocky Mountains, and in California ranges north to Canada borders.

RIVOLI HUMMINGBIRD.—Family Trochilidæ. 426. Eugenes fulgens. 5 inches.

This is one of the most gorgeous of the Hummers, having the crown a violet purple color, and the throat a changeable brilliant green. Upper parts a bronze green, the under parts almost a black. Female lacks all the brilliant colors of the male. Upper parts dull green, under parts greenish gray, top of head brownish with a small white spot back of the eye. This species saddles its nest upon the branches, generally for its favorite tree selecting a maple or sycamore, and usually at from twenty to thirty feet from the ground.

BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. 427. Cyanolæmus clemenciae. 5 inches.

This bird is a trifle larger than the preceding, and, as the name implies, it has an iridescent bright blue throat, with a streak of white extending from the bill to back of the eye, the upper parts of a uniform greenish color, under parts are a greenish gray. Tail dark with outer tail feathers broadly tipped with white.

Nest.—Is built similar to above, but placed at lower elevations, at times very near the ground. They are to be found only in Arizona and the southern borders of the United States.

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD. 429. Archilochus alexandri. 3½ inches.

This is similar in size and appearance to the “Ruby-Throat,” but has the chin and upper throat black, the rest of the throat being violet or amethyst, as seen in different lights. It is a very common bird in the southern part of its range. It nests low, rarely above ten feet from the ground. Nest made of plant fiber, not covered with lichens, but resembles a small piece of sponge.

COSTA HUMMINGBIRD. 430. Calypte costæ. 3 inches.

A slightly smaller bird than the last, with the crown and the lengthened feathers of the neck which form a ruff of the most brilliant violet or amethyst, back and rump of a greenish bronze color, under parts whitish with a green cast on the sides. Female lacks the brilliant colors of the male on the head and neck and shows no sign of a ruff.

Nest.—Is usually placed in the forks of small shrubs near the ground, seldom above six feet from it, and made of plant down, with shreds of weeds, bark and lichens worked into the outside portion, and lined with a few soft feathers. Two pure white eggs (.48 × .32).

ANNA HUMMINGBIRD. 431. Calypte anna. 3 inches.

This bird is marked much like the preceding, but varying greatly in the colors. The crown and lengthened feathers of the neck are a beautiful iridescent purplish pink. Upper parts are the usual metallic green, under parts light gray, with sides greenish. Tail is more forked and has no brown or white like the former. They are very abundant in their restricted range, and frequently raise two broods in a season.

BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. 432. Selasphorus platycercus. 4 inches.

The crown, back and central tail feathers are a metallic green. They do not have the elongated feathers on the throat and no ruff. Under parts dull white, shading into light green on the sides, the throat is a bright lilac. They are very abundant in Arizona and Colorado, where they nest much as does the “Ruby-Throat” in the east.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD. 433. Selasphorus rufus. 3½ inches.

A beautiful little bird, with the back and tail reddish brown and with a throat of orange red, the feathers being lengthened into a ruff on the sides of the neck. Their nests are made of vegetable fibers covered with lichens and cobwebs, and placed near the ground on vines or low-hanging bushes. Two white eggs.

ALLEN’S HUMMINGBIRD. 434. Selasphorus alleni. 3¼ inches.

This is very much like the last, with the back more greenish and the tail being a reddish brown. They are found on the Pacific Coast from British Columbia southward, breeding most abundantly in southern California.

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. 436. Stellula calliope. 3 inches.

This is the smallest of the family of North American Hummers. It is greenish on the upper parts, growing darker toward the tail, the end of which is a light brown. The throat is a rich violet, showing white at the base of the feathers. They are found from British Columbia southward and from the Rockies westward, most common during breeding in California and Oregon. They build their nests in all manner of locations, from high up in tall pines to within a foot of the ground in low bushes. They are made of plant down and shreds of bark and lichens, breeding high up on the mountains.

LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD. 437. Calothorax lucifer. 3½ inches.