Purple-crowned Plovercrest

Overview

The purple-crowned plovercrest, or violet-crowned plovercrest, is a species of hummingbird in the tribe Trochilini. It is a small bird found in South America, specifically in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Identification

• Length 8.5 to 9.5 cm, with adult males weighing about 3.7 g.
• Both sexes have a shortish, straight, black bill.
• Adult males possess a shaggy violet-blue crest, a brownish face with a white spot behind the eye, yellowish green upperparts, and underparts that are blackish violet-blue on the throat and upper belly with gray on the rest.
• Males produce a complex, modulated vocalization at leks and when chasing other birds.

Habitat

The species inhabits the understory of forests, scrublands, and vegetation along watercourses between sea level and about 900 m. It is found in eastern Paraguay, far northeastern Argentina, and southern Brazil as far north as southern São Paulo state.

Diet

Forages from near the ground to the canopy for nectar from native and introduced flowering species, and also consumes insects caught in flight or gleaned from leaves. Males defend feeding territories during the breeding season.

Did you know?

Females construct their cup nests using soft plant and seed fibers bound together with spiderweb and decorated with lichens on the outside.