<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='290774'>Green-throated Mountain-gem

Lampornis viridipallens

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En bref

  • Scientific Name: Lampornis viridipallens
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí gorgiverde
  • Famille : Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Green-throated Mountain-gem, Green-throated Mountain Gem
  • Longueur moyenne : 11–12 cm / 4,3–4,7 pouces
  • Average Weight: 4.7–5.5 g / 0.17–0.19 oz
  • Wingspan: 12–14 cm / 4.7–5.5 in
  • Key Feature: Glittering green throat patch (gorget) on males, prominent white stripe behind the eye, and a slightly decurved black bill
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Nectarivore (Nectar) and Insectivore (Insects and Spiders)
  • Range: Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador)
  • Habitat: Humid montane forest, cloud forest, and pine-oak forest
  • Social Structure: Solitary, highly territorial
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup nest made of moss and plant down, bound with spiderwebs, placed in low understory vegetation
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : En baisse

The Green-throated Mountain-gem (*Lampornis viridipallens*) is a captivating, medium-sized hummingbird native to the misty cloud forests and highland pine-oak woodlands of southern Mexico and northern Central America. This exquisite bird is best known for the male's dazzling, iridescent green throat—or gorget—which shines brilliantly against a clean white breast and rich emerald upperparts, though both sexes share a distinctive, crisp white stripe sweeping backward from the eye. Females exhibit a more understated elegance, featuring a pure white throat and underparts instead of the glittering green. Equipped with a straight, medium-length black bill, this agile flyer is a highly efficient pollinator, darting gracefully through montane canopy layers to feed on nectar and small insects, making it a vital and enchanting resident of its high-altitude habitat.

Faits amusants

To survive freezing nights in its high-altitude cloud forest home, this resilient hummingbird can plunge its body temperature into a state of deep torpor, essentially hibernating on a nightly basis. When awake, it is a clever thief; it frequently practices "nectar robbing" by piercing the base of tubular flowers to steal nectar from the side, completely bypassing the plant's pollination mechanism. Despite its small size, it is also a fierce territorial bully, using sharp, metallic "tsip" calls and aggressive dive-bombs to chase away rivals—and even much larger bird species—from its favorite feeding spots.

Habitats et répartition

This species is native to the highlands of northern Central America, with a geographical range extending from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas through Guatemala and El Salvador to western Honduras. Within these countries, its distribution is restricted to montane regions, where it remains a year-round resident rather than migrating long distances.

It primarily inhabits humid to semi-humid pine-oak forests, evergreen montane forests, and cloud forests, typically at elevations ranging from 900 to 2,700 meters above sea level. Within these environments, it is commonly found in the understory and middle canopy, as well as along forest edges, in secondary growth, and in shrubby clearings where flowering plants are abundant.

Comportements & Reproduction

This species is highly solitary and territorial, with individuals aggressively defending rich nectar sources and feeding territories from rivals, including other hummingbird species. They exhibit a solitary social structure, interacting with conspecifics almost exclusively during brief, aggressive encounters or during the breeding season. Males use high-pitched vocalizations and territorial flights to establish dominance and advertise their presence within their preferred montane forest habitats.

Mating is polygynous, characterized by temporary associations where males court females with aerial displays and vocalizations before mating and immediately departing. The female takes on sole responsibility for all nesting duties, displaying a highly independent reproductive strategy. She constructs a compact, cup-shaped nest using plant down, moss, and spider silk, typically situated in low vegetation or undergrowth. She then lays a clutch of usually two eggs, incubating them and raising the chicks alone without any paternal assistance.

Alimentation

The Green-throated Mountain-gem sustains its high-energy lifestyle primarily on a diet of carbohydrate-rich nectar extracted from a variety of flowering plants, particularly favoring those in the understory and mid-canopy of its montane forest habitat, such as species within the Rubiaceae, Gesneriaceae, and Lobeliaceae families. To supplement this sugary intake with vital proteins, amino acids, and fats, this hummingbird actively hunts small insects and spiders, capturing them mid-air through agile aerial hawking or gleaning them directly from foliage. An intriguing aspect of its feeding behavior is its territoriality; individuals will aggressively defend high-reward nectar sources from competing hummingbirds, though they also employ "trap-lining" tactics, memorizing and traveling a specific route of scattered flowers. Furthermore, to survive the chilly nights of its high-altitude environment, this species must consume near its own body weight in nectar daily, relying on this intense daytime feeding to fuel its rapid metabolism and to survive the state of nocturnal torpor it enters each night.

Couleurs

The Green-throated Mountain-gem features bronze-green upperparts that provide camouflage in forest foliage, paired with a distinctive white stripe behind the eye. Males boast a glittering, iridescent green throat gorget contrasting with a white breast and grayish underparts, while females have a plain white throat and buffy flanks. Their dull gray tail feathers and muted underparts help them blend into the shaded mid-canopy understory.

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