<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='290778'>Berylline Hummingbird

Saucerottia beryllina

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En bref

  • Scientific Name: Saucerottia beryllina
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí berilo
  • Famille : Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Berylline Hummingbird, Colibrí de Berilo
  • Average Length: 8–10 cm / 3.1–3.9 in
  • Average Weight: 4–5 g / 0.14–0.18 oz
  • Wingspan: 11.5–13.5 cm / 4.5–5.3 in
  • Key Feature: Iridescent emerald-green body with a coppery-rufous tail and wings
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (also consumes small insects and spiders)
  • Range: Mainly Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras), with occasional breeding in the southwestern United States (Arizona)
  • Habitat: Oak-pine forests, montane evergreen forests, woodlands, and suburban gardens
  • Social Structure: Solitary (highly territorial, especially around feeding sites)
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup nest made of plant down and spiderwebs, decorated with lichen, built on a slender tree branch
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : Stable

The Berylline Hummingbird (*Saucerottia beryllina*) is a captivating, medium-sized avian gem renowned for its dazzling, jewel-like appearance. Primarily native to the mountain forests of Mexico and Central America—with occasional, highly anticipated sightings in the southwestern United States—this striking bird is easily recognized by its brilliant, iridescent beryl-green head and breast, which contrast beautifully with its warm rufous wings and coppery-purple tail. A key distinguishing physical feature is its straight, slender bill, which displays a distinct reddish lower mandible. Despite its diminutive size, the Berylline Hummingbird possesses a remarkably bold and feisty personality, fiercely defending favored nectar sources and feeders from much larger rivals with high-speed aerial acrobatics. This combination of glittering, metallic plumage and spirited temperament makes it one of the most enchanting and memorable pollinators in the Americas.

Faits amusants

The Berylline Hummingbird is a feisty powerhouse known for aggressively bullying much larger birds away from coveted nectar sources. To fuel this high-energy attitude, it performs aerial acrobatics to snatch insects mid-air and will even daringly steal trapped bugs directly from sticky spider webs. These clever birds are also master engineers, weaving stretchy spider silk into their nests so the structure physically expands as their chicks grow. When they sing, they don't chirp but instead produce a dry, mechanical buzz that sounds remarkably like a tiny cicada, making this metallic-green and rufous-tailed beauty as quirky to listen to as it is to watch.

Habitats et répartition

This species is primarily distributed throughout the highlands of Mexico and northern Central America, including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. While it is a year-round resident across most of its range, it also occurs as a rare but regular seasonal visitor—and occasional breeder—in the southwestern United States, particularly in the mountain canyons of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and western Texas.

It chiefly inhabits oak, pine-oak, and montane evergreen forests, as well as tropical deciduous forests and arid scrublands, typically at elevations between 900 and 3,000 meters. The species is frequently found along forest edges, in canyons, and in semi-open areas, and it has adapted well to human-altered landscapes such as coffee plantations, orchards, and suburban gardens rich in flowering plants.

Comportements & Reproduction

Highly territorial and solitary, these birds aggressively defend nectar-rich feeding territories from rivals and other species. Their social structure is defined by this independence, with males and females interacting only briefly to mate. During the breeding season, males employ a polygynous mating strategy, attempting to attract multiple partners through conspicuous singing from high perches and elaborate aerial diving displays. Once mating is complete, the male departs, leaving the female entirely responsible for the remainder of the reproductive cycle.

The female selects a nesting site, typically on a slender, downward-sloping branch, where she constructs a tiny, cup-shaped nest out of plant down and spider silk, camouflaging the exterior with lichens. She lays a clutch of usually two eggs, which she incubates for about 14 to 19 days. After hatching, she single-handedly feeds the nestlings a nutrient-rich diet of regurgitated nectar and small insects until they are ready to fledge at around twenty days of age.

Alimentation

The Berylline Hummingbird (*Saucerottia beryllina*) feeds primarily on nectar obtained from a variety of brightly colored, tubular flowers, showing a strong preference for red and orange blooms such as salvias, lobelias, and honeysuckles. To supplement this carbohydrate-rich diet with essential proteins and minerals, they actively hunt small insects and spiders by catching them mid-air or plucking them directly from foliage and spiderwebs. An intriguing aspect of their feeding behavior is their intense territoriality; despite their small size, these birds aggressively defend choice flower patches and sugar-water feeders from rival hummingbirds, often engaging in dramatic aerial chases. Furthermore, to fuel their exceptionally high metabolism, Berylline Hummingbirds must consume up to half of their body weight in nectar daily, requiring them to feed almost continuously throughout the day.

Couleurs

The Berylline Hummingbird is characterized by a brilliant, iridescent beryl-green head, throat, and chest, contrasting sharply with a rich cinnamon-rufous lower belly and wing patches. Its tail is a striking, iridescent coppery-red to purplish-bronze, and its straight bill features a distinctive reddish-pink lower mandible. This vibrant palette of metallic greens and warm rufous tones allows the bird to both dazzle during courtship and camouflage effectively amidst the dappled light of its forested habitats.

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