When found among females, gorgets appear to serve as a way to signal threats. Female hummingbirds, usually larger than the male, find iridescent feathers attractive. Males are very aggressive and will chase another male away from its territory. Typically, gorgets are found only among male hummingbirds. It’s been surmised that the gorget may aid in mate attraction, signal social status and allow hummingbirds to distinguish themselves among species. Interestingly in hummingbirds, the gorget may serve similar functions. It’s the U-shaped, curved brass plate hanging around his neck. You may have seen George Washington wearing one in a pre-Revolutionary 1772 portrait. Later, its use became primarily ornamental, as a symbolic accessory. It was originally used in the Middle Ages as a military term for a neck protector against sword strikes. Actually, it’s a late Middle English word from the root word “gorge,” think “throat.” For example, when fresh, the feathers on an Anna’s Hummingbird are rose red, but they fade to a coppery bronze color over time.īy the way, those bright flashing colored feathers on the hummingbird’s neck are known as a “gorget,” though that’s not Spanish.

Just like clothing, these feathers change over time with wear and exposure to the sun. Hummingbirds can flash their bright colors, as well as hide them when needed. They probably chose the name because of the brilliant radiant colors on hummingbirds that comes from their iridescent coloring resembling a prism or the shimmer of a soap bubble. Did you ever think of hummingbirds as “Flying Jewels”? The early Spanish explorers to the New World did, that’s why they named them “Joyas Voladoras.”

Hummingbird in spanish