Saucerottia cupreicauda
The Copper-tailed Hummingbird, *Saucerottia cupreicauda*, is a resplendent jewel of the northern Neotropics, renowned for its striking plumage and acrobatic flight. Males typically measure 8.5-9.5 cm in length and weigh 4-5 grams, showcasing a brilliant bronzy-green on their upperparts, transitioning to iridescent emerald green on the throat and belly. Their most distinctive feature, and the source of their common name, is a lustrous copper-red to purplish-red tail, often appearing coppery in...
Found primarily in humid montane forest edges, clearings, coffee plantations, and gardens, typically at elevations between 800 and 1,800 meters.
Their primary diet consists of nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, supplemented by small arthropods (insects and spiders) for protein, which they catch in flight or glean from vegetation.
Copper-tailed Hummingbirds are diurnal, highly active foragers, often seen darting between flowering plants from dawn until dusk, sometimes entering a state of torpor at night to conserve energy. They employ a 'trap-lining' foraging strategy, repeatedly visiting a circuit of productive flower pat...
The Copper-tailed Hummingbird is resident to the northern Neotropics, primarily distributed across northeastern Venezuela and adjacent parts of Colombia. Its main range extends through the coastal mountain ranges of Venezuela, including the Cordillera de la Costa and the Andes in states such as A...
Least Concern
- The Copper-tailed Hummingbird's brilliant coppery-red tail is one of the most distinctive features among Neotropical hummingbirds, acting as a key identification mark. - Like all hummingbirds, it has an incredibly high metabolism, requiring it to feed almost constantly throughout the day to sus...