White-vented Violetear

Overview

The white-vented violetear (Colibri serrirostris) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is distributed across parts of South America, specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, and is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Males are mostly shiny green with a lighter shade than other violetears, featuring a yellow-green rump with a blue shimmer and a glittering green tail with a wide steel-blue band.
• Undertail coverts are pure white, and the area behind the eye covering the ears is violet blue; females are paler and more grayish.
• Measuring 12 to 13 cm in length and weighing 5.6 to 6.8 g, the maxilla of both sexes is sometimes serrated.
• The song consists of a constantly repeated 'tsilp, tsilp, zip, tsalp, tsalp' that may continue for 25 minutes, while the principal call is a hard 'drüg, drüg, drüg, drüg, drüg'.

Habitat

This species inhabits a variety of semi-open landscapes including scrublands, savanna, grassland, and gardens or parks. Its range covers southern Brazil extending west into Bolivia, central Paraguay, and northern Argentina, with elevations ranging from sea level to 3,600 m, though it is most common between 1,000 and 1,500 m.

Diet

The white-vented violetear forages for nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants and trees and also captures insects on the wing. It is very aggressive, calling from a perch and chasing other nectar-feeding birds and butterflies from flower patches, and tends to begin feeding earlier in the day than other hummingbirds.

Did you know?

In April 2024, a white-vented violetear was photographed at Batsu Gardens in Costa Rica, a significant distance from its usual South American range.