Broad-billed Hummingbird Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A small hummingbird, about 9 cm, with a relatively broad, straight bill (giving the species its name) and a notched, dark blue-black tail.
• Male: Brilliant metallic blue-green throat and body, a red bill with a black tip, and a forked, dark tail — one of the most vividly colored hummingbirds in its US range.
• Female: Duller grayish-green above and pale gray below, with a distinct white postocular stripe behind the eye and a red base to an otherwise dark-tipped bill.

Separating from Similar Species

• White-eared Hummingbird: Shares a red bill but has a bold white ear stripe and a more contrastingly patterned face; Broad-billed's face is comparatively plain aside from the female's postocular stripe.
• Male Broad-tailed or Black-chinned Hummingbird: Both lack the extensively blue-green body and bright red-based bill of male Broad-billed; the broad red bill is the quickest confirming feature.
• Female Broad-billed's white eyestripe and reddish bill base help separate her from similarly plain female hummingbirds of other species in the region.

Habitat, Range & Season

• Found in wooded canyons with sycamores, streamside vegetation, and mesquite thickets in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and west Texas.
• Present as a breeding species spring through fall; most of the population withdraws into Mexico for winter, though a few linger at feeders.
• Favors riparian corridors more than open desert, often near permanent water.

Voice

• Gives a dry, chattering rattle call, distinct from the sharper chip notes of many other hummingbirds.
• Males give buzzy, scolding notes during chases and territorial disputes at flowers or feeders.