Saucerottia cyanura
The Blue-tailed Hummingbird, *Saucerottia cyanura*, is a captivating neotropical gem, renowned for its vivid plumage and energetic demeanor. Measuring approximately 8.5-10 cm (3.3-3.9 inches) in length and weighing around 4-5 grams, this medium-sized hummingbird features a shimmering iridescent green head and body, contrasting sharply with its namesake: a brilliant, coppery-violet-blue tail that is particularly striking in good light. Males boast a more intense green, often appearing bronze-g...
Found primarily in moist broadleaf evergreen forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, often adapting to coffee plantations and gardens. It typically inhabits elevations ranging from 500 to 2,000 meters (1,600 to 6,600 feet) above sea level.
Primarily nectivorous, feeding on nectar from a diverse array of flowering plants. Supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, typically hawked from the air or gleaned from foliage.
Blue-tailed Hummingbirds are diurnal, displaying high levels of activity throughout the day, foraging intensely and often entering a state of torpor on cold nights to conserve energy. Foraging involves hovering expertly to sip nectar from a variety of flowering plants, complemented by acrobatic a...
The Blue-tailed Hummingbird is a resident species primarily found across Central America, with its distribution stretching from southern Mexico southeastward to Nicaragua. In Mexico, its range is concentrated in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. It continues through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ho...
Least Concern
- Blue-tailed Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times per second, allowing for their characteristic hovering flight. - Like all hummingbirds, they have an incredibly high metabolism, requiring them to feed frequently throughout the day. - To survive periods of low food availability or co...