Lucifer Sheartail

Overview

The lucifer sheartail, also known as the lucifer hummingbird, is a medium-sized green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and a distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. The species is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is considered locally common within its range.

Identification

• Green body with a long, curved bill and small wings.
• White streak located behind the eye.
• Males display iridescent plumage, a forked dark tail, and a long magenta gorget.
• Females are larger with duller plumage, a pale throat, and white or buff underparts, often with crimson trim.

Habitat

The bird inhabits deserts and arid areas featuring agave plants, cacti, and desert shrubs in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is found in canyons, mountain slopes, and dry washes at altitudes between 1,100 and 1,700 metres, and migrates to central Mexico for the winter.

Diet

The diet consists mainly of nectar from agave and colourful desert flowers, as well as spiders and small insects. It forages by hovering at flowers, catching insects in flight, or flying in straight lines to specific destinations, with most individuals foraging non-territorially at undefended agave.

Did you know?

Males attract females by hovering high above them before diving to make a snap sound with their wings or tail, a display that lasts 30 to 45 seconds and can repeat several times an hour.