Hummingbird

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus
Broad-tailed Hummingbird thumbnail
Length: 4 in. (10 cm )
This species is characteristic of mountain meadows, and the distinctive trilling whistle of the male can be heard easily as it hovers near low flowers or flies full speed high over head. This loud trill is made by air moving quickly through gaps in the wing tip feathers. The nest is tended only by the female and is a tiny cup made of spider webbing, lichens and plant down. It is placed on a horizontal branch, often in a shrub near a mountain stream. Food is flower nectar, insects and spiders caught on leaves, and occasionally tree sap.

The four-digit banding code is BTLH.

Female | Jim Burns


Fir forest

Oak-pine woodland
Bird Sound Type: Trilling
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bird Sound Type: Trilling
Sex of Bird: Male
Sonogram Large:
Sonogram Zoom:
Bird Sound Type: Trilling
Sex of Bird: Male
Sonogram Large:
Sonogram Zoom:

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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Broad-tailed Hummingbird
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 7, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/broad-tailed-hummingbird

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Broad-tailed Hummingbird. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 7, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/broad-tailed-hummingbird

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Broad-tailed Hummingbird". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/broad-tailed-hummingbird

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Broad-tailed Hummingbird". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 7 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/broad-tailed-hummingbird

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
Penguin swimming, looks like it is flying through water
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