Green Thorntail
Encyclopedia
The Green Thorntail is a small hummingbird
that is a resident breeder from Costa Rica
to western Ecuador
. It occurs at middle elevations from 700-1400 m but may descend lower early in the wet season. In Costa Rica and Panama
it is confined to the Caribbean
slopes.
This is a forest canopy species. The nest
is undescribed, but a published image shows a female constructing a nest on a thin branch, so it is presumably similar to other cup nests built by species such as the Green-breasted Mango
. All hummingbirds lay two white egg
s incubated by the female alone.
Green Thorntail has mainly green upperparts, a white rump band and a blackish lower rump and tail. It weighs just 3 g. The 10 cm long male has the long wire-like tail that gives this species its name and green underparts. The 7.5 cm long female lacks the long tail and has blackish underparts with a green breast band. She has conspicuous white moustaches
The Green Thorntail is usually silent, but may give a quiet chip. These birds visit small flowers including those of epiphyte
s and shrubs, and also take tiny flies
and wasp
s. Breeding males perch on open branches and may give a dive display.
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
that is a resident breeder from Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
to western Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. It occurs at middle elevations from 700-1400 m but may descend lower early in the wet season. In Costa Rica and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
it is confined to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
slopes.
This is a forest canopy species. The nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
is undescribed, but a published image shows a female constructing a nest on a thin branch, so it is presumably similar to other cup nests built by species such as the Green-breasted Mango
Green-breasted Mango
The Green-breasted Mango is a hummingbird from tropical America. The scientific name of this bird commemorates the French naturalist Florent Prévost.- Description :...
. All hummingbirds lay two white egg
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
s incubated by the female alone.
Green Thorntail has mainly green upperparts, a white rump band and a blackish lower rump and tail. It weighs just 3 g. The 10 cm long male has the long wire-like tail that gives this species its name and green underparts. The 7.5 cm long female lacks the long tail and has blackish underparts with a green breast band. She has conspicuous white moustaches
The Green Thorntail is usually silent, but may give a quiet chip. These birds visit small flowers including those of epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s and shrubs, and also take tiny flies
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
and wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
s. Breeding males perch on open branches and may give a dive display.
Footnotes
External links
- Green Thorntail videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Green Thorntail photo; Article w/RangeMaps InfoNatura NatureServe