Life List 043
Visually documented
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercus
- First photographed
- May 12, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Broad-tailed Hummingbird portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Selasphorus platycercus
Overview
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a high-elevation western hummingbird adapted to cool mountain summers. The narrow outer wing feathers of adult males produce a distinctive metallic trill in flight.
Identification
Adult males are green above and white below with a brilliant rose-magenta throat and a rounded tail. Females are green above, pale below with spotted throats and buffy flanks; both show a white line behind the eye.
Range
Breeds in mountain regions of the western United States and Mexico, especially the Rockies. Most migrate to wintering areas in Mexico, with a few remaining in the Southwest.
Habitat
Mountain meadows, aspen groves, open conifer forest, stream corridors, gardens, and flowering slopes, often at middle to high elevations.
Diet
Flower nectar, small flying insects, spiders, and sugar-rich sap obtained from sapsucker wells.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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