Violetear

The violetears are hummingbirds of the genus Colibri. They are medium to large
Violetear
species found in Mexico, and Central and northern South America. The Mexican
violetear occasionally wanders as far north as theUnited States and even Canada.

Violetears have ample rounded tails and short or medium black bills. Three of the
four species have a mainly green plumage. The males have a violet blue patch
running back and down from the eye, which is erected when they are excited, and
a glittering throat patch. The female plumage is generally like the male’s, but the
ear and throat patches are smaller.

Violetears build substantial cup nests into which two white eggs are laid. They
have loud persistent songs, often repetitions of double notes.

These birds come readily to artificial nectar feeders, and show no fear of humans.
They are aggressively territorial, and at feeders or flowering shrubs they spend
Sparkling violetear, Colibri coruscans
much time chasing other hummingbirds, rather than feeding.
Scientific classification
Species Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Subfamily: Trochilinae
Genus: Colibri
Spix, 1824

Species

5, see text
 Scientific
Image Common Name Distribution
name

Colibri
Brown violetear Mexico to northern and western South America
delphinae

Colibri
Mexican violetear Mexico to northwestern Nicaragua
thalassinus

Colibri Costa Rica, Panama, and the Andes (from Bolivia and
Lesser violetear
cyanotus northwards)

Colibri Sparkling
The Andes (from Argentina and northwards)
coruscans violetear

Colibri White-vented
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay
serrirostris violetear

References
Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa RicaISBN 0-8014-9600-4
Birds of the World, 1999 Edition ISBN 0-7136-8989-9 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: Invalid ISBN.

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This page was last edited on 9 November 2018, at 14:42(UTC).

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