Booted Racket-tail

The Booted Racket-tail is a small, charming hummingbird of the Andes, instantly recognizable by the fluffy white or buffy feather tufts on its legs, resembling little boots. Males take the ornamentation further with a pair of extremely long, thin, wire-like tail feathers that cross and end in small racket-shaped flags, trailing well behind the body and adding dramatically to the bird's apparent length.

The body plumage is green, sometimes with a violet-blue throat patch depending on subspecies, while females lack the racket tail, instead showing a shorter, more conventional tail and whitish underparts. Despite the elaborate tail ornament, males remain highly maneuverable fliers, readily visiting flowering shrubs at forest edges and gardens.

Key field marks

• Fluffy white or buffy leg tufts ("boots") present in both sexes
• Males: long, thin, wire-like tail streamers ending in small racket-shaped tips
• Green body plumage, sometimes with a violet-blue throat
• Females: shorter, unadorned tail and pale underparts
• Very small overall body size

Similar species

• No other Andean hummingbird combines the leg boots with racket-tipped tail streamers in males, making adult males essentially unmistakable.
• Females can be confused with other small green hummingbirds but the leg tufts remain a useful identifying feature.

Habitat

Inhabits montane forest edge, secondary growth, shrubby clearings, and gardens.

Range

Found along the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and into Bolivia, generally between about 1,000 and 2,500 m elevation.

Migration

Mostly resident, with some local altitudinal movement.

Behavior

Active and agile, males display the tail streamers while chasing rivals and courting females at flowering shrubs; often seen singly, darting quickly between feeding sites.

Voice

High-pitched, thin chipping and buzzy notes, typical of small hummingbirds, though not especially loud or distinctive.

Feeding

Feeds on nectar from a variety of flowering shrubs and trees, and catches small insects in brief aerial sallies.

Nesting

Builds a tiny cup nest of plant down and moss; the female incubates the typical clutch of 2 white eggs alone.