Would you like to know which are the most exotic hummingbirds? Would you like to know how much they measure and how they look like? Are you interested in learning about their feeding, location and flight? Find here a list of exotic hummingbirds and learn about the unique characteristics that distinguish these tiny birds.
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1. Sparkling violetear
Scientific name: Colibri coruscans
It is a characteristic bird of semi-open habitats, being highly territorial, aggressive and dominant over smaller hummingbirds. Its natural habitat is rain forests, cloud forests and secondary vegetation, although it can also be easily seen in urban areas, in various gardens and terraces, where there are flowers. This species nests from May to September in the north, west and center of the Andes of Colombia. The nest is cup-shaped and made of soft plant material, decorated on the outside by lichens and branches.
The Screaming Hummingbird, as it is also known, is a nectarivorous species. It measures 14 cm from beak to tail, relatively long and somewhat curved beak. It has a metallic green color with a blue-violet patch in the center of the belly, and from the throat towards the auricular list. Its tail is medium long, rectangular and slightly forked, metallic blue in color with a dark subterminal band. Throughout the day, males sing almost non-stop perched on high branches.
2. Brown violetear
Scientific name: Colibri delphinae
The brown violetear hummingbird is a species of hummingbird that lives in high forests, between 400 to 1600 meters above sea level. It can be found from southern Guatemala to Bolivia and western Brazil, as well as on Trinidad Island. It is 11.5 cm long and weighs 6.5 to 7 grams. It is brown in color with some red on the tail and lead near the belly. Although its habitat is usually the high forests between 400-1600 m when it is nesting, it is widely diffused in the lowlands outside the nesting period.
It can be found typically in the high litter of the tropical forest, secondary growth of medium height and in coffee plantations, although they also feed at lower levels, at the edges and clearings. The brown hummingbird feeds mainly on the nectar of small tree flowers and epiphytes. It also feeds on insects, often caught in flight, which form an essential source of protein. Although not very territorial, this species is very aggressive, and in feeders it seems to spend much more time attacking other hummingbirds than actually feeding.
3. Bee hummingbird
Scientific name: Mellisuga helenae
Also called «Helena hummingbird», it is the smallest known bird species in the world. It lives in two places in Central America such as Cuba and the Isle of Youth. The male is smaller than the female, and its plumage is metallic blue on the wings, white on the abdomen, and red on the neck. Females have blue-green tones, white breast and white spots on the tail. Depending on the specimen, these tones may vary.
The length of the beautiful tiny bee hummingbird, from beak to tail, is only two inches. This hummingbird weighs less than two grams, its nest is three centimeters in diameter, and its eggs are almost invisible to humans. The bee hummingbird is undoubtedly the smallest exotic bird in the world and at the same time one of the most beautiful.
4. Fiery-throated hummingbird
Scientific name: Panterpe insignis
It is common for this mountain bird to abound in the canopy above 1,400 meters, and it is also found in the thickets at the edge of forests and clearings. This bird is 11 centimeters long and weighs 5.7 grams. It has a straight black bill and dark legs. The famous adult hummingbird has bright green plumage on the body, blue tail, and a white spot behind the eye. It often looks dark, but when light hits it at the right angle, it shows a bright blue crown, a bright yellow bordering the orange throat, and a blue patch on the chest. The sexes are similar, but the young birds have reddish plumage on the head. His call is a high-pitched twitter.
The food of this species is nectar, taken from a great variety of small flowers, including ericaceae, epiphytes and bromeliads. Like other hummingbirds they also trap small insects as an essential source of protein. Male Flagship Hummingbird defends flowers and shrubs in their foraging grounds, dominating most hummingbirds. They, however, allow the females to share their food media. The female Insigne Hummingbird is fully responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in the nest cup of a 24-meter-tall bulky fiber plant, at the bottom end of the bamboo stem or in a root under a bench. Incubation takes 15-19 days, and fledging 20-26 days.
5. Mexican violetear
Scientific name: Colibri thalassinus
The violet-eared hummingbird or blue-eared hummingbird, is a species of apodiform bird of the Trochilidae family that lives in the highlands, from the central part of Mexico to western Panama and, in the Andes region, from the north of Venezuela to Bolivia. It is a migratory bird that reaches the United States and even Canada. Its habitat is fields with trees and bushes, between 600 and 3,000 meters above sea level, but apparently it avoids floodplains and very humid tropical forest.
It measures 9.9 to 11.5 cm in length and weighs 5 to 6 g. Male is bright grass green on head and back, turning tan on rump and upper wings. It is distinguished by a blue or purple spot around the ear. The tail is square and shows a broad dark blue subterminal stripe. The northern subspecies have a violet spot on the chest and a blue-violet stripe along the chin, which often connects with the ear. The female is similar to the male, but is on average smaller and slightly duller in color, with the narrowest violet stripe on the chin.
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