Chalybura urochrysia
The Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer (Chalybura urochrysia) is a striking medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring 11-12 cm (4.3-4.7 in) in length and weighing between 6-8 grams. Its most distinctive feature, and the source of its name, is a broad, dark bronze to golden-bronze tail that often appears dusky, contrasting with its otherwise brilliant metallic bronze-green plumage. Males are almost entirely iridescent bronze-green, particularly on the upperparts and flanks, boasting a brilliant, sh...
This species primarily inhabits humid evergreen forests, forest edges, and secondary growth, often frequenting shaded clearings, plantations, and coffee farms from lowlands up to elevations of around 1500 meters.
Their diet consists predominantly of nectar from a variety of flowering plants, supplemented by small arthropods, such as spiders and insects, which they catch in flight or glean from vegetation.
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers are diurnal and generally solitary, except when congregating at particularly rich floral sources. They employ a 'traplining' foraging strategy, systematically visiting a circuit of favored flowers for nectar, and also glean small insects from foliage or catch them in mi...
The Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer is a resident species found throughout much of Central and northern South America. Its distribution extends from eastern Honduras, through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and south into western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Within this broad range, several su...
Least Concern
- The Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer is one of the heaviest-bodied hummingbirds in its range, giving it a somewhat stout appearance compared to its more delicate relatives. - Its genus name, *Chalybura*, means 'steel tail' or 'bronze tail', directly referring to its most prominent field mark. - Like a...