Sephanoides sephaniodes
The Green-backed Firecrown (*Sephanoides sephaniodes*) is a dazzling, medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring 10-10.5 cm in length with males weighing 5.5-6 g and females 5-5.5 g. Males are instantly recognizable by their brilliant, iridescent fiery-red to orange crown, contrasting sharply with their shimmering bronze-green upperparts and tail, and whitish underparts often flecked with green on the flanks. Females share the green upperparts but lack the fiery crown, sometimes exhibiting...
Found primarily in humid temperate forests, woodlands, scrublands, and even suburban gardens, this adaptable species thrives from sea level up to 2,000 meters in elevation, occasionally reaching 4,000 meters in certain Andean valleys.
Their diet consists mainly of nectar from a diverse array of flowering plants, including native *Fuchsia*, *Embothrium*, and *Lapageria*, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from vegetation or caught in flight.
Green-backed Firecrowns are highly active diurnal birds, engaging in foraging throughout the day and often entering a state of torpor on cold nights to conserve energy. Their primary foraging strategy involves hovering at flowers to sip nectar, but they are also adept at hawking small insects in ...
The Green-backed Firecrown has a wide distribution across southern South America, primarily breeding from central Chile and adjacent Argentina, south through Patagonia to the island of Tierra del Fuego. While many populations are resident year-round, those in the southernmost or highest elevation...
Least Concern
- The Green-backed Firecrown holds the distinction of being the southernmost-ranging hummingbird in the world, often found in Tierra del Fuego. - It is one of only two species in its genus, *Sephanoides*, with its sister species, the Juan Fernández Firecrown, being critically endangered. - Males ...