<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='359524'>Festive Coquette

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En bref

  • Scientific Name: Lophornis chalybeus
  • Spanish Name: Coqueta festiva
  • Famille : Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Festive Coquette Hummingbird, Spangled Coquette
  • Average Length: 7.5–8.5 cm / 3.0–3.3 in
  • Average Weight: 2.5–3.5 g / 0.09–0.12 oz
  • Wingspan: 10–11 cm / 3.9–4.3 in
  • Key Feature: Male has a prominent rufous crest and iridescent green spangled throat
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (primarily nectar, also small insects)
  • Range: Southeastern Brazil (Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul), eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina
  • Habitat: Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, forest edges, and secondary growth
  • Social Structure: Solitary (except during breeding)
  • Nesting/Breeding: Small cup-shaped nest built on a horizontal tree branch
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : En baisse

The Festive Coquette (*Lophornis chalybeus*) is a dazzling hummingbird of the South American tropics, renowned for its male’s extravagant, iridescent plumage. Roughly the size of a large bumblebee, the male boasts a brilliant emerald-green body, a coppery-orange rump, and a striking, fan-shaped crest of metallic green and blue feathers that flares during courtship displays. Its most unique feature is a pair of long, tufted cheek plumes of fiery red-orange, tipped with black, which, combined with a shimmering throat patch, create a jewel-like spectacle. Females are more subdued, lacking the crest and plumes but retaining a soft green back and pale underparts. This tiny bird’s rapid, insect-like wingbeats and specialized, brush-tipped tongue allow it to feed on nectar from tubular flowers, making it a vital pollinator in its forest habitat.

Faits amusants

Despite its name, the Festive Coquette’s “festive” appearance is actually a high-stakes dating strategy: males perform dramatic pendulum-like swings in front of females, flashing their iridescent green throat and fiery copper crest, which can catch light like a tiny disco ball. They are one of the few hummingbirds known to deliberately hover upside-down while feeding from certain flowers, a quirky adaptation that lets them access nectar other birds miss. Their wings beat up to 80 times per second, but they also have a bizarre habit of “sunbathing” on exposed branches, spreading their wings to absorb heat and possibly to dry off after bathing in dew or rain.

Habitats et répartition

The Festive Coquette inhabits humid lowland forests, forest edges, and secondary growth, often near streams or clearings. It is also found in coffee plantations and gardens that retain tall trees and flowering shrubs, which provide nectar sources. Its geographical range is restricted to the eastern slope of the Andes in Peru and adjacent western Brazil, specifically from southern Amazonas and western Acre states in Brazil south through the departments of Loreto, Ucayali, and Madre de Dios in Peru. It occurs at elevations up to 1,100 meters, though it is most common below 800 meters.

Comportements & Reproduction

The Festive Coquette is primarily solitary, with males defending small, nectar-rich territories that they advertise to females through aerial displays. These displays involve rapid, hummingbird-like hovering and darting flights that showcase their iridescent green and coppery plumage, particularly the elongated throat feathers and crest. Mating is brief and promiscuous; the male plays no role in nesting or parental care. The female alone builds a small, cup-shaped nest using plant fibers and spider webs, typically in a low fork of a tree or shrub. She lays two tiny white eggs, incubating them for about 14–16 days. A unique reproductive strategy is the female’s ability to enter a state of torpor at night during incubation to conserve energy, reducing her metabolic rate dramatically to survive cooler temperatures in her montane forest habitat. The chicks fledge after roughly 20–22 days, after which the female may begin a new breeding attempt quickly, taking advantage of seasonal flower blooms.

Alimentation

The Festive Coquette, a tiny hummingbird found in South America, sustains itself primarily on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, favoring those with tubular blossoms that match its long, specialized bill. It is a classic "trap-line" feeder, visiting a regular circuit of specific flowers throughout the day rather than defending a single territory. Interestingly, while nectar provides the energy for its incredibly fast metabolism and hovering flight, this diet is deficient in protein and essential nutrients. To compensate, the Festive Coquette actively hunts and consumes small arthropods, such as spiders and gnats, which it gleans from leaves or catches in mid-air, making it an opportunistic insectivore that supplements its sugary fuel with vital amino acids.

Couleurs

The Festive Coquette is a tiny hummingbird with a striking green body, a coppery-orange rump, and a white band across the lower back. Males feature a brilliant emerald-green gorget with elongated, pointed cheek tufts of the same color, while the tail is reddish-bronze tipped with black. Females lack the tufts and have a spotted throat. Its iridescent plumage provides camouflage by blending with dappled light in the forest canopy, and the bright rump patch can startle predators during escape.

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