The Four Keys to ID
- Size & Shape
Relative to other U.S. hummingbirds, this is a fairly large hummingbird with moderately long bill, tail, and wings.
Relative Size
Larger than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, smaller than a House Wren.
sparrow-sized or smallerMeasurements
- Both Sexes
- Length: 3.9-4.3 in (10-11 cm)
- Weight: 0.1-0.1 oz (2-4 g)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
- Color Pattern
Adult is bronzy green above, with a buff belly, rich iridescent blue-green throat and breast (which appears gray when not in sunlight), rufous tail, and striking red bill with a dark tip. Juvenile has a dark bill, grayish breast, and duller colors overall.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay Library - Behavior
Drinks nectar; also catches small flying insects or picks insects off vegetation with its bill. Readily visits hummingbird feeders, where it chases away smaller hummingbirds.
© Pat Heirs / Macaulay Library - Habitat
Lowland habitats of eastern Mexico and southernmost Texas, including Tamaulipan brushland, thorn forest, riparian woodlands, suburbs, and urban parks with flowering plants.
Regional Differences
Ornithologists recognize three subspecies, one of which (chalconota) is found in the United States. The other two (cerviniventris and yucatanensis) are resident farther south in Mexico. These subspecies differ in the color tones of their body plumage, with the northern two subspecies paler below, the southern yucatanensis more richly rufous rather than buff in the belly.
