Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Encyclopedia
The Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Amazilia violiceps, is a medium-sized hummingbird
. It is 10 cm long and weighs approximately 5 g.
The bird is best distinguished by its violet-colored cap, from where it gets its name. Adults are colored predominantly a dark olive green for their upperparts and tail. The underparts are predominantly white. The bill of the male is straight and very slender. It is red in coloration, and shows a black tip. The female is less colorful than the male.
The breeding habitat is in arid scrub of southeastern Arizona
in the United States
to southwestern Mexico
, (the Madrean sky islands
), and it is typically a mountain species. Outside its breeding range, it will occasionally stray from southernmost California
to southwest Texas
. The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree. Females lay two white eggs. This hummingbird is partially migratory, retreating from northernmost areas during the winter.
These birds feed on nectar from flower
s and flowering trees using a long extendable tongue or catch insect
s on the wing.
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...
. It is 10 cm long and weighs approximately 5 g.
The bird is best distinguished by its violet-colored cap, from where it gets its name. Adults are colored predominantly a dark olive green for their upperparts and tail. The underparts are predominantly white. The bill of the male is straight and very slender. It is red in coloration, and shows a black tip. The female is less colorful than the male.
The breeding habitat is in arid scrub of southeastern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to southwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, (the Madrean sky islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
), and it is typically a mountain species. Outside its breeding range, it will occasionally stray from southernmost California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to southwest Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or tree. Females lay two white eggs. This hummingbird is partially migratory, retreating from northernmost areas during the winter.
These birds feed on nectar from flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and flowering trees using a long extendable tongue or catch insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s on the wing.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Violet-crowned Hummingbird photo; Article desertmuseum.org, Arizona-Sonora Desert MuseumArizona-Sonora Desert MuseumThe Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a museum and zoo founded in 1952 and located in Tucson, Arizona. It contains a museum and two miles of walking paths on of this property, and is one of the most visited attractions in Tucson...
- Violet-crowned Hummingbird photo; Article & synopsis; state.tx (Texas)
- Violet-crowned Hummingbird photos; Article w/RangeMaps InfoNatura, NatureServe
