What feature easily identifies a male Costa's Hummingbird?
Answer
Iridescent purple gorget flaring out like mustaches
The male Costa's Hummingbird possesses a very distinctive and dramatic visual marker: an iridescent purple gorget. This specialized throat plumage flares out when displayed, and it is often described visually as resembling magenta-purple mustaches or a wide collar extending from the neck area. This feature provides an unmistakable way to confirm the species identification for birders, especially when the sun strikes the feathers correctly, making the structural coloration intensely noticeable against the bird's rich rufous or buffy underparts.
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