Appearance
BILL: straight, slender red bill tipped in black.
SIZE: medium-sized hummingbird measuring 3.5-3.9 inches in length, and a wingspan of 5-6 inches. Long-wings and fan-shaped tail.
WEIGHT: 3-4 grams.
COLOR: green, black, white, blue, gray, red-orange, iridescent
Habitat
OPEN WOODLANDS: Arid scrub, open deciduous forest, semi-desert and other open situations in arid habitats.
Food
NECTAR from flowers such as ocotillo and paintbrushes, bouvardia or desert honeysuckle, also feed on sugar-water mixtures in hummingbird feeders.
INSECTS small insects such as aphids, leafhoppers, and root gnats.
Nesting
NEST: loose cup of grasses, plant fibers, spider webs, lined with plant down, the exterior is camouflaged with bits of leaves or bark. Built on a deciduous shrub or low tree, on a horizontal or drooping branch or placed in fork, usually 3-9 feet above the ground.
EGGS: 2 eggs, white in color.
INCUBATION: 14 days, female only.
Behavior
HOVERING while feeding on flowers. Catch small insects, by grabbing them in midair, or hover to pluck them from foliage, sometimes taking insects from spider webs.
Distribution
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Ontario. Spends winter in Mexico.