- ORDER: Caprimulgiformes
- FAMILY: Trochilidae
Basic Description
The Broad-billed Hummingbird is a beauty in a beautiful family. The male’s vivid red bill, emerald body, and glittering sapphire throat sets it apart from other U.S. hummingbirds. Most of this species’ range lies in Mexico, but it reaches the mountainous canyons of the southwestern U.S. during the breeding season. There it brightens shady, flower-filled ravines and residential gardens, and is a frequent visitor to hummingbird feeders. In courting the female, the male makes a precision flight display likened to a hypnotist’s swinging pocket watch.
More ID InfoFind This Bird
The best way to find a Broad-billed Hummingbird is to visit a garden with flowers or hummingbird feeders. In wilder settings, you’ll need to look for patches of nectar-rich flowers across a wide elevational range. From early spring through early summer, checking riparian areas with cottonwoods and sycamores is a good approach: look for partly shaded areas near rivers with an abundance of flowers.
Other Names
- Colibrí Piquiancho Común (Spanish)
- Colibri circé (French)
Backyard Tips
Within their range, Broad-billed Hummingbirds may visit native flowers in gardens. They may also visit hummingbird feeders stocked with sugar water made with 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Food coloring is not necessary.