Riccordia bicolor
The Blue-headed Hummingbird, *Riccordia bicolor*, is a dazzling avian jewel endemic to the Lesser Antilles, celebrated for its striking iridescent blue head that gives the species its name. This compact hummingbird typically measures around 9 to 11 cm (3.5-4.3 inches) in length and weighs a mere 3.5 to 5 grams, making it a petite yet prominent resident of its island habitats. Beyond its luminous azure crown, males exhibit a glossy dark green back, a distinctive white band across the breast, a...
This species thrives in moist broadleaf forests, forest edges, plantations, and shaded gardens. It inhabits a wide elevational range, from lowlands up to higher montane areas on its native islands.
Primarily feeds on nectar from a diverse array of flowering plants, extracting it while hovering; supplements its diet with small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in flight.
Blue-headed Hummingbirds are highly active diurnal foragers, often seen darting between flowering plants from dawn until dusk, typically roosting individually overnight in dense foliage. They employ a 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, visiting a regular circuit of scattered flowers, primarily hove...
The Blue-headed Hummingbird is a non-migratory resident strictly endemic to two islands in the Lesser Antilles: Martinique and Dominica. Its breeding range is confined to these islands, where it can be found across various habitats from sea level to higher montane elevations, typically up to arou...
Least Concern
- The Blue-headed Hummingbird is found only on the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Dominica, making it a true island endemic. - Like all hummingbirds, its vibrant, iridescent colors are structural, caused by microscopic air bubbles in feather barbules refracting light, rather than pigments. -...