Broad-tailed Hummingbird Identification Guide
A mountain-west hummingbird whose males produce a distinctive metallic wing trill in flight, best told from other Selasphorus by range, elevation, and sound.
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Key Field Marks
- Medium-sized hummingbird, about 8–9 cm, with a fairly straight black bill.
- Adult male: iridescent rose-magenta (not orange-red) gorget, emerald-green back and crown, clean white breast, and a slightly notched dark tail.
- Adult female and immature: green above, whitish below with a light buffy-cinnamon wash on the flanks, a lightly spotted throat, and a rounded tail edged with white tips and a rufous base.
- In flight, males produce a loud, insect-like metallic trill from their wingtips — this sound alone is often the fastest way to confirm the species in its breeding range.
Separating It From Similar Species
- Rufous and Allen's Hummingbird females/immatures: both show more extensive rufous/cinnamon in the tail and flanks than Broad-tailed, which is only lightly washed with buff.
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird: gorget color can look similar in some light, but the two species barely overlap in range (Ruby-throated is an eastern breeder) and Ruby-throated males lack the wing trill.
- Black-chinned Hummingbird: male has a black throat with a thin purple band at the base rather than an all-rose-magenta gorget, and lacks the wing trill.
- The mechanical wing trill of the male Broad-tailed is diagnostic and can be heard well before the bird is seen.
Habitat, Range & Season
- Breeds in mountain meadows, aspen groves, and coniferous forest edges of the Rocky Mountains, from Idaho and Wyoming south through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico into Mexico, typically between about 5,000 and 10,000 feet elevation.
- Present on breeding grounds roughly April through September; winters mainly in Mexico.
- Readily visits hummingbird feeders and flowering subalpine meadows during the breeding season.
Voice
- Calls include high, sharp chip notes.
- The male's signature sound is not vocal but mechanical: a shrill, cricket-like trill produced by air passing through modified outer wing feathers during flight, audible at a distance.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird?
Both have a rose to red gorget, but their ranges barely overlap (Broad-tailed is a Rocky Mountain breeder, Ruby-throated is eastern) and only Broad-tailed males make a loud metallic wing trill in flight.
What is the buzzing sound Broad-tailed Hummingbirds make?
Adult males produce a distinctive insect-like metallic trill mechanically from their wingtips during flight, not from their voice; it's a reliable clue to the species even before you see the bird.
How can I tell a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird from a female Rufous Hummingbird?
Female Broad-taileds show only a light buffy wash on the flanks and less rufous in the tail, while female Rufous Hummingbirds show more extensive cinnamon-rufous coloring on the flanks and tail base.
Where and when is the best time to see a Broad-tailed Hummingbird?
Look in Rocky Mountain meadows and forest edges from roughly 5,000–10,000 feet elevation between April and September; they winter in Mexico.