Thaumastura cora
The Peruvian Sheartail (Thaumastura cora) is a striking, diminutive hummingbird of the family Trochilidae, celebrated for the male's extraordinarily elongated and deeply forked tail. Males measure an impressive 13-15 cm (5.1-5.9 in) in total length, with their tail streamers contributing a significant 8-10 cm (3.1-3.9 in) to this, while females are much smaller at 7.5-8.5 cm (3.0-3.3 in) and possess a much shorter, slightly forked tail. Weighing a mere 2.5-3.5 grams, both sexes exhibit irides...
Primarily found in arid and semi-arid scrublands, desert oases, and cultivated areas, often near coasts, ranging from sea level up to elevations of approximately 2,800 meters (9,200 feet). They adapt well to disturbed habitats including gardens and urban parks.
Feeds primarily on nectar from a wide range of flowering plants, and supplements this with small insects and spiders, which are caught on the wing (aerial hawking) or gleaned from foliage.
The Peruvian Sheartail is diurnal, actively foraging during daylight hours and roosting communally or solitarily in sheltered vegetation during the night. They are highly territorial, with males vigorously defending prime feeding patches and display perches from rivals and other hummingbird speci...
The Peruvian Sheartail is primarily found along the arid Pacific coast and adjacent Andean valleys of western Peru and northern Chile. Its core distribution extends from western La Libertad and Cajamarca departments south through coastal Peru to the extreme northern regions of Chile, specifically...
Least Concern
- The male Peruvian Sheartail's tail can be twice the length of its body, making it one of the most disproportionately long tails in the avian world. - Despite its impressive tail, the male is an incredibly agile flyer, capable of intricate aerial maneuvers during courtship and foraging. - They a...