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HUMMINGBIRDs

Order Apodiformes    Family Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are restricted to the Americas from southern Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including the Caribbean. The majority of species occur in tropical and subtropical Central and South America. Hummingbirds are are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second (depending on the species). They can also fly backwards, and are the only group of birds able to do so. They can fly at speeds exceeding 50 km/h (30 mi/h).

Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside flowers. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so they also prey on insects and spiders, especially when feeding young. When hummingbirds feed on nectar, the bill is usually only opened slightly, allowing the tongue to dart out and into the interior of flowers. Most hummingbirds have bills that are long and straight or nearly so, but in some species the bill shape is adapted for specialized feeding. Hummingbirds do not spend all day flying, as the energy cost would be prohibitive; the majority of their activity consists simply of sitting or perching. With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heart rate can reach over 1000 beats per minute.

The hummingbirds are presented in 7 web pages:                 1) Barbthroat, Hermit, Jacobian, Sicklebill, Topaz
2) Carib, Fairy, Goldenthroat, Mango, Violetear, Visorbearer    3) Comet, Coquette, Firecrown, Sunangel, Sylph, Thorntail
4) Helmetcrest, Hillstar, Metaltail, Puffleg, Thornbill                5) Brilliant, Coronet, Inca, Starfrontlet, Sunbeam
6) Mountain-gem, Starthroat, Sheartail, Woodstar                  7) Emerald, Plumeleteer, Sabrewing, Woodnymph

Carib, Fairy, Goldenthroat, Mango, Violetear, Visorbearer


Genus Androdon - 1 species

Hummingbird,_Tooth-billed  Androdon aequatorialis  Found: mainly Columbia, Ecuador; also Panama
The male Tooth-billed Hummingbird has a serrated bill, giving the resemblance of teeth. It has shiny green upperparts; coppery crown; whitish underparts streaked dusky; grayish tail with black band.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Columbia
2, 3) Male



Genus Anthracothorax 

Mango,_Antillean  Anthracothorax dominicus  Found: Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
The male Antillean Mango has mainly dark underparts; green throat. Female has mainly white underparts; whitish tips to tail.
Image by: 1) Ryan_Douglas  2) Issai_Campos  3) Michael_Klotz 4) ZankaMÏ
1, 2) Female   3, 4) Male


Mango,_Black-throated  Anthracothorax nigricollis  Found: Central and South America
The male Black-throated Mango has glossy green upperparts; blackish throat bordered with blue-green; green flanks. Female has bronze-green upperparts; mainly white underparts with dark central stripe..
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3)  Dario Sanches in Brazil 4) Lip Kee Yap - Iguasu Falls, Argentina 5) Tom Friedel (BirdPhotos.com) - Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
2, 3) Female  4, 5) Male



Mango,_Green-breasted  Anthracothorax prevostii  Found: Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Puerto Rico
The male Green-breasted Mango has glossy green upperparts; blackish throat bordered with blue-green; green flanks; paler belly. Female has bronze-green upperparts; mainly white underparts with dark central stripe; blue-green throat stripe.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Thomas_Turner, Chuck Heikkinen  4) Dick Daniels - Puerto Rico 
2) Female  3, 4) Male


Mango,_Green  Anthracothorax viridis  Found: Puerto Rico
The Green Mango has mainly green plumage.
Image by: 1, 2) Ron Knight  3) Jaro_Nemcok  4) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - jose_santiago


Mango,_Green-throated  Anthracothorax viridigula  Found: northeast Brazil, the Guianas, northeast Venezuela
The male Green-throated Mango has an entirely green throat which distinguishes it from other mangos. Female has slightly reddish tinge on upperparts.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Michel_Giraud-Audine, Kester Clarke  4) Steve_Garvie - Trinidad
2) Female with juvenile


Mango,_Jamaican  Anthracothorax mango  Found: Jamaica
The Jamaican Mango has mainly dark plumage; majenta on sides of head and neck.
Image by:  1, 2) Dick  Daniels - Rockland Feeding Station, Negril, Jamaica   3) Charles_J_Sharp


Mango,_Veraguan  Anthracothorax veraguensis  Found: Costa Rica, Panama
The Veraguan Mango has bronze-green upperparts. Male has blue on breast, central belly. Female has white underparts with teal strip down the breast.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2) Eric_Gropp - Panama  3, 4) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Alex_Vargas, Daniel Hinckley
2, 3) Female 4) Male



Genus Augastes
The Visobearers are found in Brazil.

Visobearer,_Hooded  Augastes lumachella  Found: eastern Brazil
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 4) Nick Athanas  3) Marcia_Novaes_Guedes.  5) Joao_Quental
2, 3) Female  4, 5) Male

Visobearer,_Hyacinth  Augastes scutatus  Found: eastern Brazil
The Hyacinth Visobearer has mainly green upperparts; blue underparts with white breast-band; golden-green throat, visor.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Nick Athanas   4) Rick elis.simpson  5) Nortondefeis
2) Female  3, 4) Male




Genus Avocettula - 1 species

Awlbill,_Fiery-tailed  Avocettula recurvirostris  Found: Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
The Fiery-tailed Awlbill resembles the mangos, but has a distinctive sharp upturn at the tip of its bill.The male has mainly dark iridescent green plumage; violet tail. Female has white underparts; with black central stripe.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2) William_Swainson  3) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Joao_Quental in Brazil



Genus Colibri
Found in: Central America, South America.
Violetears have purple ear-patches than can be erected when aggressive.

Violetear,_Brown  Colibri delphinae  Found: Central and South America
The Brown Violetear has brown upperparts; rufous rump; grayish underparts; violet patch running back and down from eye; green and blue throat patch; nearly straight bill.;
Image by: 1) BBODO   2) Andy_Morffew - Ecuador  3) Charles_J_Sharp - Panama  4) Jerry_Oldenettel - Ecuador 


Violetear,_Green  Colibri thalassinus  Found: Mexico, Central America, western South America
The Green Violetear is shining green above with a glittering violet ear-patch on the sides of its neck. Its throat and chest are a more glittering green with a shining green belly. The tail is a metallic blue-green with bronzier central feathers and a prominent black subterminal band. The bill is black with a slight downward curve.
Similar to: Sparkling Violetear. The Sparkling Violetear has a blue belly patch; Green Violetear does not.
Image by: 1) Frank Vassen in Costa Rica    2, 3) MDF Boquete, Panama  4) Mmcnally  5) Dick Daniels - Boquette, Panama  6)  Andy_Morffew - Ecuador



Violetear,_Sparkling  Colibri coruscans  Found: western South America from Venezuela to Argentina
Similar to: Green Violetear. The Sparkling Violetear has a blue belly patch; Green Violetear does not.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo   3) Dick - Butterfly World, Florida   4) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo  5) Andy_Morffew - Ecuador



Violetear,_White-vented  Colibri serrirostris  Found: mainly Brazil; also Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay
Image by: 1) Cephas 2) dotcomdotbr  3) Brendan_Ryan  4) Hector_Bottai - Brazil  5) Rick_elis.simpson 




Genus Chrysolampis - 1 species

Hummingbird,_Ruby_Topaz  Chrysolampis mosquitus  Found: South America
The male Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird has dark brown upperparts; ruby red crown, nape; golden-orange throat, breast; brown rest of underparts. Female has bronze-green upperparts; pale gray underpart; chestnut tail with some white on tip.
Image by: 1) Jonathan_Hornung  2) New Jersy Birds  3) Ysmad     4) Charles_J_Sharp - Tobago
2) Female 3, 4) Male


Genus Eulampis
Found in: Caribbean

Carib,_Green-throated  Eulampis holosericeus  Found: The Caribbean
The Green-throated Carib has green upperparts with golden tones; male has brillant green gorget bordered below by metallic blue; black belly.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands   3) Clément Bardot  4) Simon_h_shepherd
2) This Carib is sitting on its nest.


Carib,_Purple-throated  Eulampis jugularis  Found: The Caribbean
The Purple-throated Carib has much black plumage; green wing coverts; purple throat, upper-breast; blue undertail;.
Image by: 1) Charles Sharp  2) Mark_Yokoyama  3, 4) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Louis_Warren, Brian_Sullivan



Genus Heliactin - 1 species

Sungem,_Horned  Heliactin bilophus  Found: mainly Brazil; also Bolivia, Suriname
The male Horned Sungem dark blue crown; tiny gold horns; rest head black; black throat; white collar. Female has mainly green upperparts; white underparts; very long tail.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Nick Athanas - Brazil   4) Claudio_Timm



Genus Heliothryx

Fairy,_Black-eared  Heliothryx auritus  Found: Brazil and surrounding countries
The Black-eared Fairy has green upperparts; black ears, wings; short and straight black bill; white underparts. Male has green throat; female has white throat.
Image by: 1) Ana_Agreda - Ecuador  2) Nick_Athanas - Brazil  3) Joao_Quental  4) Nick Athanas - Brazil
1, 2) Female   3, 4) Male


Fairy,_Purple-crowned  Heliothryx barroti  Found: Mexico, Central America, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela
The Purple-crowned Fairy has mainly green upperparts; dark eye patch; small and sharply pointed bill. Male has purple crown.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3, 5) Jerry_Oldenettel  4) Dominic_Sherony - Panama
2 - 4) Female 5) Male




Genus Polytmus

Goldenthroat,_Green-tailed  Polytmus theresiae  Found: northern South America
The male Green-tailed Goldenthroat has green plumage. Female is mostly green with green speckles on their white underparts.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2) Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Michel_Giraud-Audine in French Guyana  3) Louis Victor Bevalet  Feroze_Omardeen - Guyana


Goldenthroat,_Tepui  Polytmus milleri  Found: In the Tepui Mountains - mainly Venezuela; also Brazil, Guyana
The male Tepui Goldenthroat has copper-green upperparts; green tail with white base; gray ear patch with white border; pale green underparts; red down-curved bill. Female similar but with duller underparts spotted green and white.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2) hbw.com  Cornell_Univ's_Neotropical_Birds_Online - Lars_Petersson


Goldenthroat,_White-tailed  Polytmus guainumbi  Found: South America
The White-tailed Goldenthroat has mainly golden-green pluamage; pale white streak above and below eye; white-tipped tail.
Image by: 1) Cephas  2, 3) Barloventomagico - Venezuela  4) Jairmoreirafotografia  5) Hector_Bottai


Genus Schistes - 1 species

Hummingbird,_Wedge-billed  Schistes geoffroyi  Found: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
The Wedge-billed Hummingbird has white stipe behind eye; rounded tail, short bill. Male has white tufts on breast.
Image by: 1) Chephas 2) Claudio_Timm  3) Alejandro_Tamayo - Columbia
2, 3) Female






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