Birds
Broad-tailed hummingbird
A hummingbird of mountain meadows and forests that also eats small insects and spiders.
Black-chinned hummingbird
A tiny, greenish-gray hummingbird of semi-arid river country.
NPS says the black-chinned hummingbird is only about 3 and three-quarter inches long, mostly greenish-gray with a black chin and a white collar. It flaps and spreads its tail while hovering, possibly to help steady itself.
It prefers semi-arid habitats along desert rivers but moves to higher elevations after breeding. It eats mainly nectar from flowers and small insects. Utah DWR reports it and the broad-tailed hummingbird as the species most often seen in the state.
Compare it with the broad-tailed hummingbird, which favors mountain meadows and forests, and treat any single field mark with care, since females and young birds differ from adult males. Watch from the edge of a streamside corridor and avoid disturbing nesting cover.
How to recognize it
Tiny hummingbird with a black chin bordered by a white collar.
Watching and staying safe
Watch streamside flowers from established paths.
Places the sources name
Related profiles
File photo: Desert bighorn sheep resting beside sandstone in Zion National Park (2014-09-22 10:34:38). Photo: ImagePerson · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mammals
Desert bighorn sheep
Sure-footed sheep of the slickrock, restored to Zion after disappearing there.
File photo: Bobcat in grass, National Park Service archive. Photo: National Park Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
File photo: Townsend’s big-eared bat in Utah, BLM archive. One of the bat species found in the state. Photo: John Larson / BLM Utah · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Mammals
Bats
Insect-eating flying mammals whose lives depend on suitable roosts, water and a safe seasonal cycle.