How to Identify Broad-tailed Hummingbird Feathers

What Broad-tailed Hummingbird Feathers Look Like

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a common high-elevation hummingbird of the Rocky Mountain region, and its feathers combine typical hummingbird iridescence with a tail shape distinctive enough to give the species its name.

• Body/contour feathers: bright metallic green on the back and crown, tiny (under 1 cm), with the shifting, scale-like iridescent sheen typical of hummingbirds.
• Throat (gorget) feathers (male): brilliant rose-red to magenta-red, small and intensely iridescent, often appearing dark or blackish when not catching direct light — a classic and important diagnostic color for this species.
• Underpart feathers: white to pale gray on the breast and belly, with greenish flanks, providing decent contrast against the greener back.
• Tail feathers: notably broad with rounded tips and only a shallow notch (unlike the deep fork of Broad-billed Hummingbird) — this proportionally wide, minimally forked tail shape is the species' namesake feature. Tail feathers are metallic green to bronzy-green with dusky tips.
• Wing feather note: males produce a distinctive trilling wing sound in flight due to modified, narrower outer primary feathers — a narrower-than-expected primary feather can hint at a male of this species.
• Female/juvenile feathers: green above, whitish below with fine dusky spotting on the throat (rather than solid red), and a somewhat less broad tail than the adult male.
• Shaft color: pale brown to dark brown depending on feather type.

Step-by-Step: Is This Feather From a Broad-tailed Hummingbird?

1. Check for a rose-red gorget feather. A brilliant magenta-red throat feather (rather than blue, purple, or orange) strongly supports this species among Rocky Mountain hummingbirds.
2. Assess tail feather shape. A broad, rounded tail feather with only a shallow notch — not deeply forked — is the species' defining trait and a strong diagnostic.
3. Look for narrow, modified outer primaries. If a tiny, unusually narrow flight feather is found, it may be one of the modified outer primaries responsible for the male's wing-trilling sound in flight.
4. Examine underparts. White to pale gray belly feathers with greenish flanks fit this species' typical coloring.
5. Match to elevation and habitat. Feathers found in mountain meadows, aspen groves, or coniferous forest edges at moderate to high elevation in the Rocky Mountain region strongly support this identification, since the species favors these habitats over lowland desert.

Similar Species & How to Tell Them Apart

• Broad-billed Hummingbird: has a blue (not red) gorget and a deeply forked (not broad and shallowly notched) tail — the tail shape alone reliably separates the two despite the similar name.
• Rufous Hummingbird: shows extensive rufous-orange coloring on the back, flanks, and tail base, a warm tone entirely absent from Broad-tailed Hummingbird's green-and-white pattern.
• Anna's Hummingbird: gorget extends up onto the crown as a full rosy-magenta hood in males, while Broad-tailed Hummingbird's red is confined to the throat with a green crown.
• Calliope Hummingbird: much smaller overall, with streaked (not solid) magenta throat feathers forming a "starburst" pattern rather than a solid gorget patch.

Where & When You'll Find Them

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds breed in mountain meadows, aspen groves, and coniferous forest edges at moderate to high elevations throughout the Rocky Mountain region and parts of the Great Basin, migrating to Mexico and Central America for winter. Feathers are most likely found on breeding territories from late spring through late summer, especially near mountain wildflower meadows where males perform display flights, with additional feather turnover during the late-summer molt before birds depart for wintering grounds. Look near high-elevation meadows with abundant flowering plants, particularly around known display perches.