Wildlifeof Costa Rica
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Hummingbirds
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
Panterpe insignis
Basic stats
Diet
Nectar from small flowers, including epiphytic heaths, bromeliads and shrubs; also small arthropods caught in flight or gleaned from leaves
Habitat
Montane forest, cloud forest and elfin forest, the lower edge of paramo, secondary forest and pasture with trees; mostly in the canopy
Range
Costa Rica and western Panama; 1,600–2,000m in northern Costa Rica and 2,200–3,200m in the higher southern mountains
Clutch size
2 white eggs
Size
10.5–11cm
Weight
Males 5.9–6.2g; females 4.9–5.2g
A small mountain hummingbird of Costa Rica and western Panama. It has a mostly black bill with a pink base to the lower mandible, a small white spot behind the eye, a glittering royal-blue crown, black face and nape, bright metallic green back and a blue-black tail. The throat is brilliant rosy coppery orange with golden-green sides, and there is a violet-blue patch on the centre of the breast (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is aggressive and dominant over most other hummingbirds. Males defend feeding territories while breeding, and both sexes defend them afterwards. Where flowers are too deep for its bill it takes nectar from holes made by bumblebees and flowerpiercers. In Costa Rica it breeds from August to January; the female alone builds a bulky mossy cup nest, 2–4m up at the end of a hanging bamboo stem or on a rootlet under a bank, and incubates the two eggs. In at least parts of its range it moves downslope after breeding (Wikipedia, general species account).
On this guide it is a target species of Monteverde, Poas, Irazu, the Savegre Valley and Chirripo.
Quick answers
- What does the Fiery-throated Hummingbird eat?
- Nectar from small flowers, including epiphytic heaths, bromeliads and shrubs; also small arthropods caught in flight or gleaned from leaves
- What habitat does the Fiery-throated Hummingbird live in?
- Montane forest, cloud forest and elfin forest, the lower edge of paramo, secondary forest and pasture with trees; mostly in the canopy
- Where is the Fiery-throated Hummingbird found?
- Costa Rica and western Panama; 1,600–2,000m in northern Costa Rica and 2,200–3,200m in the higher southern mountains
- How many eggs does the Fiery-throated Hummingbird lay?
- 2 white eggs
- How big is the Fiery-throated Hummingbird?
- 10.5–11cm
- How much does the Fiery-throated Hummingbird weigh?
- Males 5.9–6.2g; females 4.9–5.2g