Selasphorus ellioti
The Wine-throated Hummingbird (Selasphorus ellioti) is a diminutive and iridescent jewel of Central American highlands, renowned for the male's striking magenta to purplish-red gorget. Measuring a mere 6.5-7.5 cm (2.6-3.0 in) in length and weighing just 2.5-3.5 grams, it is a truly petite member of the avian world. Males boast a glittering green crown and bronze-green back, contrasting with their brilliant gorget and buffy flanks, often displaying rufous at the base of their outer tail feathe...
Found primarily in humid to semi-humid montane forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, often including coffee plantations. It typically inhabits elevations ranging from 900 to 3,000 meters (3,000-9,800 feet).
Primarily feeds on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, often small, tubular blossoms, obtained by hovering. It supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, caught in mid-air or gleaned from foliage, providing essential protein.
Wine-throated Hummingbirds are largely diurnal, actively foraging during daylight hours and likely roosting quietly among dense foliage at night, possibly entering torpor during cold spells. They exhibit typical hummingbird foraging strategies, hovering to feed on nectar from a variety of small, ...
The Wine-throated Hummingbird is an endemic resident of the highlands of Central America, with its range extending from southern Mexico (Chiapas) through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, south to the western highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama. Its distribution is fragmente...
Least Concern
- The Wine-throated Hummingbird is one of the smallest bird species in its range, often weighing less than a U.S. penny. - Males perform impressive 'pendulum' dive displays during courtship, flying in a U-shaped pattern high above the female to showcase their iridescent gorget and agility. - Desp...