Alternative name: Racket-tipped Thorntail
- Discosura longicaudus
Identification
Male 10 cm (4 in) including tail; female 7-8 cm (2¾-3¼ in). A tiny hummingbird with a spectacular tail
- throat and upperparts including wing coverts iridescent green
- chest belt wide and made up of bronzy-tipped blackish feathers giving a spangled appearance
- bib of white fringed iridescent bluish-green feathers sometimes visible above chest belt
- flanks dull green
- lower belly and vent area whitish
- rump with narrow white band (where outer tail feather join the body)
- outer tail feathers with long with purple rackets
- tail feathers with prominent whitish rachis and darker barbs
- bill black, short and straight
- eye dark
Female Similar to male with following differences:
- tail shorter lacking outer rackets, lacking the rackets
- prominent white malar streak
- rump band buffy rather than white
- lower flanks may have some buff feathers
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, tropical southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and eastern Brazil.
Taxonomy
This bird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.
Subspecies
Clements regards this as a monotypic species [1].
Habitat
Humid riverine forests, at heights uup to 200m and scrubby savanna.
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of nectar.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Racket-tailed Coquette. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Racket-tailed_Coquette
