White-necked Jacobin

Overview

The white-necked jacobin, Florisuga mellivora, is a medium-sized hummingbird found from Mexico through Central and northern South America. Also known as the great jacobin or collared hummingbird, it is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its extensive range.

Identification

• Measures 11 to 12 cm in length, with males weighing 7.4–9.0 g and females 6.0–9.2 g.
• Males display an unmistakable dark blue head and chest, a white belly and tail with black tips, and a white nape band separating the head from the bright green back.
• Females are highly variable, often showing green upperparts, a blue-green throat and breast with white scales, a white belly, and a green tail with a blue end.
• Produces a long series of high-pitched notes at a rate of 0.7–1.0 per second, sounding like 'tseee....tseee....tseee....' with calls including a short 'tsik' and a longer 'sweet'.

Habitat

Inhabits the canopy and edges of humid forests, as well as semiopen landscapes such as tall secondary forest, gallery forest, and coffee and cacao plantations. Typically found between sea level and 900 m elevation, though occasionally seen up to 1,500 m. Its range extends from southern Mexico to Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, and the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Diet

Feeds on nectar from tall trees, epiphytes, shrubs, and Heliconia plants, often sharing trees with others in an aggressive but non-territorial manner. Both sexes also hawk small insects by hovering, darting, or sallying from perches.

Did you know?

The specific epithet 'mellivora' is a combination of the Latin words 'mel' and '-vorus', meaning 'honey eating'. The nest is constructed as a shallow cup on the upper surface of a leaf, with another leaf positioned above to serve as a 'roof'.