Animalia Life

Colibri coruscans
SUBFAMILY
Trochilinae
TAXONOMY
Trochilus [Petasophora] coruscans Gould, 1846, South America. Two subspecies recognized.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Gould’s violet-ear; French: Colibri anais; German: Grosser Veilcheohrkolibri; Spanish: Colibrн Rutilante.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1–5.5 in (13–14 cm); female 0.24–0.26 oz (6.7–7.5 g), Male 0.27–0.3 oz (7.7–8.5 g). Male has slightly decurved black bill; upperparts metallic bluish green, bluish violet ear plumes elongated and erect; chin bluish violet, rest of underparts green with blue belly; tail double-lobed, iridescent green with steely blue subterminal band. Female similar to male. Immatures have no iridescent coloration, feathers fringed buff.
DISTRIBUTION
C. c. germanus: southern Venezuela, eastern Guyana and northern Brazil; C. c. coruscans: northwestern Venezuela and Colombia through Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia and northwestern Argentina; possibly also northern Chile.
HABITAT
Forest edges, open woodlands, flowering gardens, plantations, sub-pбramo and pбramo at 5,600–14,750 ft (1,700–4,500 m).
BEHAVIOR
Territorial. During display the male hovers close to the female in a semicircle and presents the violet ear plumes. A very vocal species with many local dialects.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on nectar of numerous flowers like Castilleja, Centropogon, Clusia, Echeveria, Eleanthus, Erythrina, Eucalyptus, Guzmania, Inga, Salvia, and Puya. Insects are caught in the air by hawking. Forages from ground level to canopy.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Males establish leks and sing throughout the day from treetops. Breeds in Venezuela from July to October. Cup-shaped nest built of various plant materials, decorated outside with lichens, twigs, or moss; placed on horizontal branch or attached to pendent twig in bush or placed in cleft in rocks. Two eggs; incubation 17–18 days by female. Chicks dark with two rows of dorsal down; fledging period 20–22 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Common to very common in many habitat types. Readily accepts human-made habitats. A typical hummingbird in many major Andean cities.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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