Garnet-throated Hummingbird
Lamprolaima rhami
Large, spectacular, and solidly built hummingbird of humid evergreen and pine-evergreen forest in mountains; uncommon. Feeds at all levels on flowers and sometimes perches on prominent high twigs. Most striking feature is the bright rusty wings, which typically flash brightly as it hovers at flowers; also note the big white spot behind the eye. Male often looks blackish below; the pink throat rarely catches the light. Female is dusky grayish below.
Identification
The garnet-throated hummingbird is 12 to 12.4 cm (4.7 to 4.9 in) long and weighs 5.6 to 7.1 g (0.20 to 0.25 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill. The adult male's upperparts are iridescent green. Much of the face is black, with a small white spot behind the eye. The gorget is shining rosy pink and the breast iridescent violet-blue. The rest of the underparts are blackish with mottled green flanks. The wings are rufous with dark brown tips to the feathers. The tail is dark purple with gray tips on the outer feathers. The adult female also has iridescent green upperparts. The underparts are dusky gray, usually with small pinkish dots on the throat. The wings and tail are similar to the male's but the outer tail feathers have white tips. Juvenile males are similar to the adult female but with darker underparts and buff fringes on the chest feathers. Juvenile females are similar to the adult but with buff fringes on the head feathers.
Taxonomy
The garnet-throated hummingbird is the only member of genus Lamprolaima, a name which is a combination of two Greek words: lampros, meaning brilliant or radiant and laimos, meaning throat. The specific epithet commemorates Henri-Casimir de Rham, a Swiss diplomat to the United States who was founder of the Swiss Benevolent Society in New York, a businessman, naturalist, and collector.
- Scientific name
- Lamprolaima rhami
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1839)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Lamprolaima
Range and habitat
The garnet-throated hummingbird is found discontinuously from Mexico's Guerrero, Puebla, and Veracruz states south through Guatemala into El Salvador and Honduras. It inhabits the interior and edges of tropical forest, cloudforest, and pine-oak forest and also scrublands. In elevation it ranges between 1,200 and 3,000 m (3,900 and 9,800 ft) but is most numerous between 1,500 and 2,300 m (4,900 and 7,500 ft); in Honduras it occurs only above 1,600 m (5,200 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The garnet-throated hummingbird moves between higher elevation during the breeding season to lower elevation outside it.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Plumbeous Warbler
Setophaga plumbea
A striking small bird that frequents montane forests, but sometimes ventures into dry scrub and mangroves. This species is readily distinguished by its overall gray plumage (tinged green above and yellow below on immature birds) with boldly contrasting white eyebrows and wingbars. All potential confusion species are migrants from North America that have streaking above and/or below that Plumbeous Warbler lacks. Typically feeds in understory with tail often cocked upwards. Song consists of a dozen or so leisurely whistled sweet notes, the first three of which are at same pitch; at times only first three notes are given. Call is a dry rattle.
Yellow-necked Spurfowl
Pternistis leucoscepus
A large brown francolin with yellow bare skin on the throat and red bare skin around the eyes. The bill and legs are black. Pale patches in the outer wings are conspicuous in flight. Found in a variety of fairly arid savanna habitats and in adjacent agricultural fields. Usually in pairs or small groups. Easily separated from other francolins by its bare yellow throat. The call is a fading series of rough “kreaaak” notes.
Yellow-crowned Manakin
Heterocercus flavivertex
Fairly large, distinctive manakin. Males have olive backs and are rusty colored below, contrasting with a white throat. The yellow crown patch is usually concealed. Females have a gray throat and lack the yellow crown. Found in seasonally flooded forests and adjacent unflooded forests near rivers, including white sand forests. The call is a very thin ascending and descending whistle: “weeee-pítch-ooo.” Females are almost inseparable from females of Flame-crowned Manakin, but there is no range overlap.
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