HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES

Fiery Topaz

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Topaza pyra

The Fiery Topaz is a large, brilliant hummingbird species. It is very similar to the Crimson Topaz.

They can reach a body length of about 7.5 inches.

Both have a dark brown iris, but males are larger on average than females.

Males have a back, lower breast, upperwing-coverts, and outer webs of the innermost two remiges that are shining orange-red, becoming more orange on the belly, shading over the rump into the yellow-green/green upper tail-coverts.

The top and sides of the head are velvet black, with an iridescent green and orange red throat and a thick, decurved and a rather short bill.

They have two characteristic elongated central tails (2.5 in). Bill is black. Feet are gray.

Females are shining green above, with a coppery red gorget bordered by a narrow orange-yellow-green band. The rest of the head is medium to bluish-green, with the breast less bluish.

Tail is purplish red. Bills are black like the male's, but their feet are orange/flesh colored. Upper and under-tail coverts have orange highlights in the males, as opposed to blue-green in the females, and are somewhat lengthened and loose-webbed.

They are mainly nectarivorous, and feed at flowers, vines, and epiphytes from eye level to high in the canopy, preferring high flowering vines. They also feed on insects.

Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

Found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

They are known to nest in small lichen- covered cups low over the water, like other hummingbirds.

SOURCE:
https://en.wikipedia.org