- Amazilia (Saucerottia) saucerrottei
Identification
9 cm. Bronze-green above, becoming more bronze on the wing, lower back and rump, blue-black tail. The male has glittering green underparts, white thighs and a blue vent. The female is duller green below and has grey-buff edges to the vent feathers. Young birds are dull dark bronze-green below. Bill is black above with some red at the base of the lower mandible.
Distribution
Western Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
Taxonomy
The Central American birds differ in voice and behaviour from those in South America and may be a separate species, the Blue-vented Hummingbird (Amazilia sophiae).
Resurrection of the genus Saucerottia is pending publication of data (SACC 2008)
Habitat
Open woodland, coffee plantations, gardens, savanna, and the edges and gaps of evergreen forests.
Behaviour
The nest is a cup made of plant down and cobwebs, decorated outside with lichen and placed on a small outside twig in a small tree. The female alone incubates the 2 white eggs.
The diet includes flowers, epiphytes and Heliconias.
A very aggressive hummingbird that, once established at a tree or feeder, chases off even the biggest hummingbirds that enter the area.
