Alternative name: Ruby Topaz
- Chrysolampis mosquitus
Identification
8–9·5 cm (3-3¾ in)
Male
- Ruby red crown and nape (sometimes shows orange)
- Dark brown back with olive gloss
- Orange-gold throat and breast
- Brown underparts
- Chestnut tail tipped black
Female
- Bronze-green upperparts
- Pale grey underparts
- Chestnut tail with a dark subterminal band and a white tip
Distribution
Central and South America: found from tropical eastern Panama to Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, eastern Bolivia, and Brazil.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1], which is the only member of its genus.
Habitat
Rain forests, forest edges and secondary growth; caatinga, residential areas, gardens and open country,.
Behaviour
Diet
Their main diet consists of nectar taken from flowering shrubs and trees, crops and cacti.
Breeding
They construct a tiny cup-shaped nest from fine plant materials. It is placed in the fork of a low branch. Their clutch contains 2 eggs which are incubated for 16 days; fledging occurs after 18 or 19 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2019)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Ruby-topaz Hummingbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ruby-topaz_Hummingbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
