HUMMINGBIRDS OF CENTRAL AMERICA

Stripe-Tailed Hummingbird

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eupherusa Eximia

Males have metallic green upperparts that grade to bronze at the rump and tail, they have a conspicuous rufous wing patch when the wings are folded, and mostly rufous-cinnamon underwing.

Dark bronze-green central retrices and outer retrices have black outer webs, white inner webs, and broad black tips.

Females have a metallic green back, but her underparts and sides of the face are light brownish gray.

BILL: black, straight.

SIZE: medium-sized, measuring up to 3.9 inches in length.

WEIGHT: weighs up to 4.3 grams.

COLOR: metallic green, bronze, white, black, brownish-grey grey, cinnamon and rufous.

NECTAR from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes.

INSECTS small spiders and insects.

Pre-montane and lower montane forests and adjacent clearings.

Middle America, from Gulf slope from Southeastern Mexico South through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica to Panama.

NEST: bulky cup-shaped nest out of plant fibers woven together and green moss on the outside for camouflage in a protected location in a shrub, bush or tree.

EGGS: 2 white eggs.

INCUBATION: 15 to 19 days, female only.

Hovering, while feeding from flowers. Aggressively chase away other males as well as large insects - such as bumblebees and hawk moths - that want to feed in their territory. They use aerial flights and intimidating displays to defend their territories.

The Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds are closely related to the Mexican Blue-Capped Hummingbirds and White-Tailed Hummingbirds, which are sometimes considered subspecies.

REFERENCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/

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