Swallow-Tailed Hummingbird

(Eupetomena Macroura)

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird - hummingbird species

that are found mainly in East-Central South America.

BILL: black and slightly down-curved.

SIZE: a large hummingbird measuring 6-6.5 inches including its bill which is 0.79 inch, and tail, 2.76-3.54 inches. With a wingspan of 3.15 inches.

WEIGHT: males are 8-9 grams and females are 6-7 grams.

COLOR: blue, green, purple, black, gray, iridescent.

OPEN WOODLANDS: found in dry, open areas with shrubs and trees, primary forest and edges; urban areas such as yards, parks, and gardens.

NECTAR from flowers and sugar-water mixtures in hummingbird feeders, and may also drink out of bird baths or water fountains.

INSECTS small insects and spiders.

Widely distributed in Eastern South America, also found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Rio de Janeiro.

NEST: cup-shaped nest made of lichen and mosses, held together with spider webs and lined with fine plant fibers. Built on a low, thin horizontal branch of a shrub, bush or smallish trees - typically below 10 feet, but occasionally as high as 50 feet above the ground.

EGGS: 2 eggs, white in color.

INCUBATION: 15-16 days, females only.

FLEDGLING PHASE: 22-24 days.

Hovering with their tails cocked upward as they are licking at the nectar from flowering shrubs, trees, and epiphytes, and perches low to high. Very aggressive when it comes to protecting their habitat and their resources for food, and are generally dominant over other species of hummingbirds.