Booted Racket-tail Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A tiny hummingbird with a short, straight bill; the male's tail is dramatically elongated into two thin, wire-like feathers tipped with small racket-shaped (spatula) blades.
• Leg puffs: Both sexes show conspicuous fluffy white "boots" or leg puffs at the top of the legs, a distinctive feature giving the species its name.
• Male plumage: Iridescent green upperparts, whitish to buffy underparts (variable by subspecies), some populations showing a violet-blue throat patch or gorget.
• Female plumage: Lacks the long racket tail (shorter, more normally proportioned tail), but retains the white leg puffs; underparts typically show green spotting on a whitish background.
• Behavior: Feeds at flowering shrubs and trees at forest edge and in clearings; males perform tail-pumping and display flights, and the long tail streamers are often visible trailing behind during flight.

Separating It From Similar Species

• Other Andean hummingbirds with white leg puffs (e.g., puffleg species) lack the long racket-tipped tail streamers of the male Booted Racket-tail; the combination of leg puffs plus wire-thin racket tail is unique to this species among males.
• Female Booted Racket-tail vs. other small green hummingbirds: The white leg puffs are the most reliable mark since the female's tail is unremarkable and could otherwise suggest several similar-looking species.

Where & When to See One

• Habitat: Montane cloud forest edges, secondary growth, and forest clearings, typically at mid-elevations.
• Range: Found along the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela south through Ecuador, Peru, and into Bolivia, generally between roughly 1,000 and 2,300 meters elevation.
• Season: Resident year-round within its elevational range, though some local altitudinal movement may occur in response to flowering seasons.

Voice

• Gives thin, high-pitched chip and chatter notes typical of small hummingbirds, most often heard during territorial disputes at flowering shrubs.