Lamprolaima rhami
The Garnet-throated Hummingbird (*Lamprolaima rhami*) is a medium-sized and strikingly beautiful hummingbird, a true jewel of Central American montane forests. Males are instantly recognizable by their intensely iridescent, fiery garnet-red throat (gorget) that shimmers against a backdrop of brilliant emerald-green plumage on the back and flanks, culminating in a deep violet-blue crown. A small, but noticeable white post-ocular spot contrasts sharply with its dark head. The tail is often copp...
This species primarily inhabits humid montane evergreen forests, including cloud forests and pine-oak woodlands, at elevations typically ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 meters.
Their diet consists primarily of nectar from a variety of flowering plants, particularly those with red or orange tubular flowers, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or hawked in flight.
Garnet-throated Hummingbirds are highly active and diurnal, spending their days meticulously foraging for nectar and insects. They employ a 'traplining' strategy, visiting a regular circuit of flowering plants, but will also aggressively defend rich patches of favored flowers from conspecifics an...
The Garnet-throated Hummingbird is a resident species found throughout the highlands of Central America. Its distribution spans southern Mexico, specifically in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, extending southward through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and northwestern Nicaragua. T...
Least Concern
- The Garnet-throated Hummingbird is the sole member of its genus, *Lamprolaima*, making it a unique lineage among hummingbirds. - Its spectacular garnet-red throat is not due to pigments, but rather structural coloration caused by the refraction of light off microscopic feather structures. - Des...