Pampa curvipennis
The Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, *Pampa curvipennis*, is a large, striking hummingbird native to Central America, known for its distinctive morphology and vibrant iridescence. Males measure approximately 11-13 cm (4.3-5.1 in) and weigh 7-12 g (0.25-0.42 oz), boasting a glittering purplish-blue throat, dark green crown and upperparts, and conspicuous rufous primary coverts and tertials. Females are slightly duller with a green throat and more extensive white tips on the outer tail feathers. A key d...
Primarily inhabits humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, forest edges, clearings, and mature second growth, often frequenting coffee plantations and gardens. Found from near sea level up to elevations of approximately 1,800 meters (5,900 feet).
Feeds primarily on nectar from a wide variety of tubular flowers, including those of Heliconia, Costus, and bromeliads. Supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, which are caught in flight or gleaned from vegetation.
Wedge-tailed Sabrewings are diurnal and fiercely territorial, with males often defending prime feeding patches or display perches from rivals and other hummingbird species. They employ a 'traplining' foraging strategy, repeatedly visiting a circuit of productive flowering plants, hovering adeptly...
The Wedge-tailed Sabrewing is a resident species found across a broad swathe of Central America. Its distribution extends from eastern Mexico, specifically in the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, south through the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and...
Least Concern
- The 'Sabrewing' in its name refers to the stiffened, flattened, and slightly curved outer primary feather on its wing, a unique adaptation. - It was recently moved from the genus *Campylopterus* to its own genus, *Pampa*, highlighting its distinct evolutionary path. - At 7-12 grams, it is one o...