- Campylopterus hemileucurus
Identification
13–15 cm (5-6 in); a large spectacular hummingbird with long, curved black bill and distal half of the tail white.
Body of the male is deep violet with green wing-coverts.
The female has a violet throat and undersides pale speckled green while upperside is green to bluish-green.
Younger bird have uppersides similar to the female, but clues on the underside normally allows sexing.
Distribution
Southern Mexico and Central America to western Panama. [1]
Taxonomy
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. h. hemileucurus:
- C. h. mellitus:
- Costa Rica and western Panama
Habitat
Humid forests and edges, in the southern part of the range especially higher elevation. Also second growth forests.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of nectar. They will visit feeders around houses if provided.
Breeding
The nest is a bulky cup.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Ridgely & Gwynne 1989. Birds of Panama. Princeton Paperbacks. ISBN 0691025126
- Howell & Webb, 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198540124
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Sept 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Violet Sabrewing. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Violet_Sabrewing
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
