Amethyst-throated Mountaingem

Overview

The amethyst-throated mountaingem (Lampornis amethystinus), also known as the amethyst-throated mountain-gem or amethyst-throated hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the tribe Lampornithini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, although its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Length of 11.5 to 12.5 cm, with males weighing 5 to 7.8 g and females 5 to 5.8 g.
• Features a medium-length straight black bill, dark auriculars, a whitish stripe behind the eye, and a broad slightly forked tail.
• Males of the nominate subspecies have a dark green crown and back, a bronze rump, and a brilliant rosy pink gorget, while females have a cinnamon throat.
• Subspecies L. a. margaritae is much darker overall, with a violet to royal blue gorget in males, and is possibly a separate species.

Habitat

Found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, with specific subspecies distributed across regions such as central and eastern Mexico, southwestern Mexico, and Sierra de Miahuatlán in southwestern Oaxaca. It inhabits the interior and edges of montane evergreen and pine-oak forests, ranging in elevation from 900 to 3,000 m (3,000 to 9,800 ft) in Mexico. There are two rare records outside Mexico, in Quebec, Canada, and Texas, USA, in 2016.

Diet

Feeds mostly on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, foraging in the lower and mid-story of the forest by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of nectar sources rather than defending patches. It also feeds on insects, being subordinate to larger hummingbirds but dominant over smaller ones.

Did you know?

Males display to females by flying parallel to the ground in circles, diving towards the female, and returning to their perch, repeating this aerial display up to five times during mornings and evenings.