Broad-billed Hummingbird Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A rather small hummingbird with a long, straight bill and a tail that is notched in the center. Males have fuller tails than females, with rounded corners (females’ tails have squared corners).

  Relative Size

  About the size of a Ruby-throated or Black-chinned Hummingbird, smaller than a Blue-throated Mountain-gem.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Weight: 0.1-0.1 oz (3-4 g)

  © Danny Tipton / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult males are rich green with a shimmering blue throat (gorget) and a red bill tipped in black. Females are golden-green above, gray below, with a white line behind the eye. Immatures are similar to females (immature males often show the beginning of a blue-green gorget).

• Behavior

  Drinks nectar by inserting the bill into flowers (or hummingbird feeders), sometimes feeding repeatedly in a small area, sometimes traveling long distances between patches of flowers. Also captures insects by flycatching and by gleaning them from plants. Males perform a pendulum-style courtship display and may gather in small groups called leks to call and display.
• Habitat

  Nests in stream canyons in mountainous areas up to about 6,500 feet elevations, usually with sycamores, cottonwoods, and willows. After breeding, may forage at higher elevations, almost to 10,000 feet.