Chrysuronia boucardi
The Mangrove Hummingbird (*Chrysuronia boucardi*), a true jewel of Costa Rica's Pacific coast, is a small, iridescent green hummingbird, averaging 9.5-10 cm (3.7-3.9 inches) in length and weighing a mere 4-4.5 grams. Males boast a glittering green crown and back, contrasting with a duller green throat and chest, a distinctive white belly, and rufous undertail coverts. Females share a similar pattern but are often duller, with a more extensive white belly and sometimes a grayish wash on the th...
Exclusively inhabits coastal mangrove forests, particularly in the intertidal zone and adjacent low-lying areas, rarely venturing beyond this specialized ecosystem.
Feeds primarily on nectar from a limited range of mangrove tree species; supplements its diet with small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in flight.
Mangrove Hummingbirds are active foragers during daylight hours, exhibiting a traplining strategy as they visit specific patches of flowering mangroves, such as *Pelliciera rhizophorae* and *Rhizophora mangle*. Males are intensely territorial, aggressively defending prime feeding areas and someti...
The Mangrove Hummingbird is a highly localized and non-migratory species, endemic exclusively to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Its restricted range extends from the Nicoya Peninsula in the north, southward along the coastline to the Golfo Dulce region. Key strongholds for its population includ...
Endangered
- This species is strictly endemic to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, found nowhere else in the world. - It is one of the few bird species globally that is almost entirely restricted to mangrove habitats, making it an ecological specialist. - The survival of the Mangrove Hummingbird is directly ...