Broad-tailed hummingbirds flying, drinking nectar from the flowers in a brightly colored spring garden filled with purple, red, white, and pink fuchsias and petunias. (Coyright and website text do NOT appear on original, prints, or products)
Brood-tailed hummingbirds look very similar to its more well-known cousin, the ruby-throated hummingbird. They can be hard to tell apart because the males of both species have a green body, white belly, and bright reddish throat. Probably the most obvious difference is the tail. Broad-tailed hummingbirds have a wide fan-shaped tail. Ruby-throats have a forked tail. Another difference is the throat color. While both are basically red, the broad-tailed's throat is a more pinkish red while the ruby's is more pure red to red-orange. The broad-tailed hummingbird is also slightly bigger than the ruby-throated hummingbird. No matter, though, if you can't tell them apart. Either is a delight to see in your flower garden!