Plain-capped Starthroat

Overview

The plain-capped starthroat (Heliomaster constantii) is a species of hummingbird in the tribe Lampornithini, commonly known as the "mountain gems". This species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with an estimated population between 50,000 and 500,000 mature individuals.

Identification

• Length of 11 to 13 cm with a mass of approximately 7.2 to 7.4 g.
• Features a long, almost straight, black bill and a distinctive white streak behind the eye.
• Plumage includes metallic bronze green upperparts, a wide white rump streak, and a bright metallic red or purplish red gorget.
• Song consists of a series of sharp chips, such as "chip chip chip pi-chip chip chip".

Habitat

Found from Mexico to Costa Rica, this species inhabits a variety of arid to semiarid landscapes including the interior and edges of mature forest, thorn forest, scrublands, and gallery forest. It is a year-round resident in most of its range, though it is primarily a breeding-season inhabitant in Sonora and northern Arizona.

Diet

The plain-capped starthroat feeds on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, typically foraging by trap-lining or defending flower patches. It also consumes small insects captured by hawking from exposed perches or gleaning from vegetation at all heights.

Did you know?

Subspecies H. c. pinicola strays to Arizona, where it was first recorded in 1969 and by 2022 was being seen almost annually. Males occasionally defend patches of flowers rather than foraging alone.