Green-crowned Brilliant
Heliodoxa jacula
Fairly large hummingbird, sleek and long-tailed with straight bill. Male is entirely emerald green with small blue throat patch only visible at some angles. Female has spotted green breast; note conspicuous white mustache stripe and white spot behind eye. Found in forested habitats and edges; visits feeders.
Identification
Male green-crowned brilliants are 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and females 10.5 to 12 g (0.37 to 0.42 oz). One female weighed 7.4 g (0.26 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a white spot behind the eye and a forked tail, though that of the female is not as deeply indented as the male's.<p>Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a glittering green to blue-green head and breast with a small metallic violet-blue patch on the throat. The upperparts and belly are bronzy green, the vent area white, and the thighs also white. The tail is blue-black. Adult females' blue-green head is not shiny like the male's. They also have a short white malar stripe. Their underparts are whitish and heavily spotted with green; the spots merge on the flanks. The tail is black and the outer feathers have white tips. Immature males have a dull bronzy green crown and underparts, a bright buff chin and malar, and a shallowly forked tail. Immature females have a bright buff throat and duller green spots on the underparts than the adult.<p>Subspecies H. j. henryi is larger than the nominate. Males' heads have a more brilliant glitter than the nominate's and their plumage is greener with less or no blue. Females have more white on their underparts and the separate green spots extend onto the flanks. Males of H. j. jamersoni are much duller than the nominate on the head and breast; their tail is shorter and its central feathers have a green gloss.
Taxonomy
The green-crowned brilliant has three subspecies, the nominate H. j. jacula, H. j. henryi, and H. j. jamersoni.
- Scientific name
- Heliodoxa jacula
- Authority
- Gould, 1850
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Heliodoxa
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of green-crowned brilliant is found from Panamá Province in eastern Panama into Colombia, where it inhabits all three Andean ranges. H. j. henryi is found more northerly, from Costa Rica south and east into Panama as far as Coclé Province. H. j. jamersoni is found from Colombia's Nariño Department (and possibly from further north in Cauca Department) south along the western slope of the Andes of Ecuador at least as far as El Oro Province.<p>The green-crowned brilliant inhabits a variety of landscapes including the interior, edges, and clearings of humid sub-montane and montane forest; mature secondary forest; and gardens. In elevation it generally ranges between 700 and 2,200 m (2,300 and 7,200 ft) in Costa Rica, though sometimes as low as 100 m (330 ft). In Panama it is usually found between 500 and 2,100 m (1,600 and 6,900 ft), in Colombia between 300 and 1,700 m (980 and 5,600 ft), and in Ecuador between 500 and 1,550 m (1,600 and 5,100 ft). There are also records as low as 300 m (980 ft) in Ecuador.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The low-elevation records of green-crowned brilliant in Costa Rica and Ecuador may indicate seasonal movements.<p>The green-crowned brilliant usually forages in the middle and upper strata of the forest. A primary source of nectar is Marcgravia vines, and females also feed at small understory plants. Males sometimes defend Marcgravia patches, though they also nectar by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. The species usually clings to flowers to feed rather than hovering.<p>The green-crowned brilliant's nesting season in Costa Rica is thought to span from July or August to January and in Colombia from May to September. The nest is a bulky cup of plant fibers and scales of tree ferns saddled on a thin down-sloping branch, typically between 2 and 6 m (7 and 20 ft) above the ground. The female alone incubates the two white elliptical eggs.<p>The green-crowned brilliant makes "a loud and squeaky kyew or tyew call". In Costa Rica, displaying males make "a tseek, tseek, tseek" call. During chases the species makes "loud sputtering notes and squeaks".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Golden-backed Bishop
Euplectes aureus
A small, short-tailed, huge-billed bishop. Breeding males are beautiful birds, mostly black with a yellow-orange back. Females and non-breeding males are brown and streaky with a yellow wash on the face. Found in grassland, overgrown cultivation, and open savanna. Endemic to Angola, but introduced on Sao Tome. Breeding males are unmistakable. Non-breeding males and females are very similar to other bishops, but are smaller, heavier-billed, and have more yellow on the face. The song is a series of emphatic buzzing notes.
Tawny Lark
Galerida deva
A pale yellowish-brown lark with a long, spiky crest and a thick, short bill. The heavy streaking on the upperparts contrasts strongly with the rest of the plumage. Similar to the Malabar and Crested Larks, but Tawny is smaller, with minimal streaking on the breast, paler cheeks, and a different bill shape. It is found in dry, stony fields and grassland. Sings in flight with relaxed wingbeats. The song is extraordinarily rich, long, and continuous, including complex and effortless imitations of other species.
Thick-billed Green-Pigeon
Treron curvirostra
Brightly-colored and thickset pigeon of the forest canopy, usually seen flying over in pairs or small groups. Distinctive bicolored bill and bright green eyering are visible even from a distance. Both sexes are mostly green. Males have maroon backs, while females are green all over; both have jagged bright yellow striping on the wing edges. Flocks are seen in fruiting trees in lowland and foothill forests, where they often associate with other green pigeons. Gives smoothly undulating “woooOOOO”, often in series.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.