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Purple-Throated Mountain-Gem
Hummingbird Size: 4" (10.5 cm); Male: 6 g. Female: 4.8 g. Diet: Flower nectar from both epiphytes and some understory shrubs. Males can be very aggressive and territorial, and often defend their flowers of choice. Voice: Usually a sharp, buzz: zeet or zeep. High-pitched scratchy chatter when interacting with other hummingbirds. Status: Common to locally abundant on mountain slopes (above 2,600 ft on Caribbean slope; 3,300 ft on Pacific slope). Cool Fact: The taxonomy of this species is rather unclear. There are three varieties of L. castaneoventris, of which calolaema is one. The other two varieties are often considered one species, while this one (calolaema) is considered a separate species. However, evidence shows that calolaema hybridizes with the other varieties more often than they hybridize with each other, suggesting that calolaema is at least equally related and should be part of the same species. Source: (Stiles et al 226) |
