Violet-crowned Hummingbird

Identification

The violet-crowned hummingbird is 10 to 11.5 cm (3.9 to 4.5 in) long and weighs 5.1 to 5.8 g (0.18 to 0.20 oz). Both sexes of both subspecies have a bright red bill, sometimes with a black tip. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have an intense violet-blue crown, a bluish violet hindneck, and dull grayish brown to greenish brown back and rump. Their tail is coppery bronze. Their underside from throat to undertail coverts is pure white with light olive green flanks. Adult females are virtually identical, though in general somewhat duller overall. Males of subspecies R. v. ellioti are similar to the nominate. However, their crown is more turquoise blue and their tail greenish bronze. Females again are almost identical but duller.

Taxonomy

The violet-crowned hummingbird was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Amazilia was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the violet-crowned hummingbird was one of three species moved to the resurrected genus Leucolia by some taxonomic systems. However, a study published in 2021 showed that Leucolia was not available because of the principle of priority. The authors proposed the new genus Ramosomyia and in mid-2022 it was adopted by the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the International Ornithological Committee. As of that date the Clements taxonomy retains the species in Leucolia and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World in the earlier Amazilia.<p>The violet-crowned hummingbird has two subspecies, the nominate R. v. violiceps and R. v. ellioti.

Scientific name

Ramosomyia violiceps

Authority

(Gould, 1859)

Order

Apodiformes

Family

Trochilidae

Genus

Ramosomyia

Range and habitat

The violet-crowned hummingbird's subspecies R. v. ellioti is the more northern. It is found from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico south into Mexico to Michoacán and Hidalgo and possibly as far as the states of Puebla and México. In Arizona and New Mexico it occurs almost entirely between 1,200 and 1,700 m (3,900 and 5,600 ft). In Sonora it occurs between 200 and 1,300 m (660 and 4,300 ft) and extends its elevational range further south. The nominate A. v. violiceps is found from extreme eastern and southern Michoacán south into northwestern Oaxaca. In this southern part of its range it is typically found between 200 and 1,400 m (660 and 4,600 ft) but ranges overall from sea level to 2,400 m (7,900 ft). The nominate and the southerly population of ellioti inhabit a variety of landscapes including riparian corridors in thorn scrub, deciduous and pine-oak forest, fields, orchards, and urban and suburban parks and gardens.

Migration

Complete migrants

Behavior

Migration pattern: Complete migrants.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend

stable