Cinnamon Hummingbird

Overview

The cinnamon hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) is a species of hummingbird belonging to the tribe of the emeralds. It is a small, resident bird found throughout the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. The species is assessed as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List with a large and stable population.

Identification

• 9.5 to 11.5 cm long with an average weight of 5 to 5.5 g.
• Metallic bronze green upperparts and cinnamon to cinnamon rufous underparts.
• Males possess red bills with a black tip, whereas females have mostly black bills with red at the base.
• Song consists of varied, high, thin, slightly squeaky chips such as 'si ch chi-chit'.

Habitat

It inhabits primary and secondary deciduous and semi-deciduous forests as well as thorn forest, ranging from sea level to approximately 1,600 m. Its range includes the Pacific western coast of Mexico, southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize.

Diet

The cinnamon hummingbird feeds on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants and also consumes insects. It usually forages from the understory to the mid-story but may visit taller flowering trees. It is territorial and defends feeding sites from other hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

Did you know?

The genus name Amazilia is derived from an Inca heroine in Jean-François Marmontel's novel Les Incas, ou la destruction de l'Empire du Pérou.