Green-tailed Goldenthroat

Overview

The green-tailed goldenthroat (Polytmus theresiae) is a species of hummingbird belonging to the subfamily Polytminae, commonly known as the mangoes. It is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is common to locally abundant in the northern part of its range.

Identification

• Measures 8.9 to 9.9 cm in length and weighs between 3.0 and 3.9 g.
• Males of the nominate subspecies are overall shining green, while females have whitish throats and breasts thickly spotted with green.
• Possesses a long, slightly decurved bill that is pinkish and black.
• Song consists of a repeated, long whinnying series of 20–25 notes that first rise then slightly fall, often preceded by a single introductory note.

Habitat

Found across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, with a hypothetical presence in Ecuador. The species inhabits the edges of sand-soil forest and sandy savanna with scattered small trees and stands of bushes, typically at elevations between 100 and 300 m.

Diet

Primarily a 'trap-line' feeder, the bird visits a circuit of flowering plants, mostly from the Melastomataceae family, to consume nectar. Both sexes also catch arthropods on the wing or by gleaning from leaves.

Did you know?

While the species is essentially sedentary, some individuals in Suriname are noted to move into coastal mangroves during January and February.