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Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Ramosomyia violiceps
At a Glance
This good-sized hummingbird was not found nesting in the U.S. until 1959. It is now uncommon but regular in summer in a few sites in southeastern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico. In places where flowers are not abundant, the Violet-crowned Hummingbird may be discovered flying about or hovering in the shady middle levels of tall trees, catching small insects in flight.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Hummingbirds
Conservation
Low Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Desert and Arid Habitats, Forests and Woodlands
Region
Southwest
Behavior
Flitter, Hovering, Rapid Wingbeats
Population
2.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Probably a permanent resident over most of its range, but present in the U.S. mostly in summer (a few have been known to spend the winter).
Description
4 1/2" (11 cm). Strikingly white underparts, red-based bill. Dull gray-green above, with plain tail, violet reflections on crown. Female similar to male or slightly duller.
Size
About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Green, Orange, Purple, Red, White
Wing Shape
Narrow, Rounded, Short
Tail Shape
Notched, Short, Square-tipped
Songs and Calls
A loud chatter.
Call Pattern
Flat
Call Type
Chatter, Chirp/Chip
Habitat
Sycamore groves, canyons, streamsides. In its limited U.S. range, found mostly near groves of tall trees (especially sycamores or cottonwoods) with brushy understory, along lowland streams or lower stretches of canyons.
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Behavior
Eggs
2. White. Incubation is by female only, probably 2 weeks or more.
Young
Female feeds the young, sticking her bill deep into their mouths and regurgitating tiny insects, perhaps mixed with nectar.
Feeding Behavior
At flowers, usually feeds while hovering, extending its bill and long tongue deep into the center of the flower. At feeders, may either hover or perch. To catch small insects, may fly out and grab them in midair, or hover to pluck them from foliage.
Diet
Mostly nectar and insects. Takes nectar from flowers, and eats many small insects as well. Will also feed on sugar-water mixtures in hummingbird feeders.
Nesting
Breeding behavior is not well known. Has a squeaky song, heard especially at dawn in breeding season. In Arizona, most nesting activity is in mid to late summer. Nest site is in deciduous tree or large shrub; placed on horizontal limb or in forked twig, often about 20 feet up. Nest (built by female) is a compact cup of grasses, plant fibers, spider webs, lined with plant down. The outside is camouflaged with bits of lichen or twigs.
Climate Vulnerability
Conservation Status
A relative newcomer north of the border, where numbers and range still seem to be gradually increasing.