Despite often inhabiting high open mountain meadows, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird is often heard without being seen, as its wings make an odd metallic trilling when in flight (audio found below). Highly territorial, they will fiercely defend select patches of wildflowers, with the most common opponent being each other.
Habitat
Primarily found in mountain clearings and forests, up to elevations of 10,000 feet or more. Migrants can be found in a variety of semi-open habitats, both in the mountains and in the lower elevation.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar. Also will feed on tiny insects, particularly females during the summer breeding season. They also will occasionally drink sap from holes created by sapsuckers.
Behavior
Aggressive with others of the same species, but sometimes dominated by other hummingbird species. Typical hummingbird feeding behavior.
Breeding
The nest of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, built by the female, is a small cup woven together from lichens, mosses, spiderwebs, and downy parts of plants. She lays two eggs and she alone incubates them. The eggs hatch after about 16 days, with young fledging from the nest after 3 to 4 weeks.
Song
A musical chip and repeated chattering. Perhaps the most commonly heard sound of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, however, is the buzzy trill of the wings of a displaying male, heard here (audio courtesy of Juan Carlos Perez).
Migration
Summers throughout much of the inland West of the United States and Mexico, mostly at mid to high elevations. Primarily winters in Mexico.
Interactive eBird Map
Click to access an interactive eBird map of Broad-tailed Hummingbird sightings
Similar Species
Calliope Hummingbird , Ruby-throated Hummingbird.To differentiate these small hummingbirds, look for unique throat patterns, tail shapes, and the distinct sounds they make in flight. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is known for its rounded tail and the metallic, cricket-like trill produced by the male's wings, along with a solid rose-pink throat. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird features a brilliant iridescent red throat and a deeply notched, dusky tail, and it is the only one of the three commonly found in the eastern United States. The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in North America and is easily identified by its unique starburst throat pattern, consisting of long, magenta-pink rays over a white background.
Feeders
Will attend feeders for sugar water.
Conservation Status
Generally stable throughout it's normal range, and common in parts of that range. The IUCN considers the Broad-tailed Hummingbird to be a species of "least concern ".
Further Information
- eBird - Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Audubon Field Guide - Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds: Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Photo Information
June 11th, 2018 - Winter Park, Colorado - Terry Sohl
