Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Amazilia violiceps)

[order] APODIFORMES | [family] Trochilidae | [latin] Amazilia violiceps | [UK] Violet-crowned Hummingbird | [FR] Ariane a couronne violette | [DE] Violettscheitelamazilie | [ES] Amazilia Coronivioleta | [NL] Violetkruinkolibrie

A rather large hummer with immaculate white underparts, including the throat; bill red, with a black tip. Sexes similar, but crown violet-blue in male, dull greenish blue in female and immature. No iridescent gorget on male.

North America, Middle America : Southwest USA to Southwest Mexico

Sycamore groves in canyons, streamside woods.
In its limited range in the United States, found mostly near groves of tall trees (especially sycamores and cottonwoods) with brushy understory, along flowing streams through the lowlands or lower parts of canyons.

Breeding behavior not well known. Has a squeaky song, heard especially at dawn in breeding season. In Arizona, most nesting is in mid to late summer.
Nest: Site is in deciduous tree, especially sycamore, or large shrub; placed on horizontal branch or in forked twig, in open but shaded spot, 4-
40′ above the ground, typically about 20′ up. Nest (probably built by female alone) is a cup of cottony plant down and other fibers, bound together with spider webs, lined with fine plant down. Outside of nest is camouflaged with lichens, small twigs.

Eggs: 2. White. Incubation probably by female alone; incubation period not well known, probably 2 weeks or more.
Young: Probably fed by female only. Adult provides food by inserting bill in open mouth of young, then regurgitating items from crop. Development of young and age at first flight not well known.

Mostly nectar and small insects. Feeds on nectar from flowers, especially long tubular flowers. Will feed on sugar-water mixtures and oozing sap. Eats many small insects and spiders.
Behavior:
Takes nectar while hovering at flowers; will also perch while feeding if a perch is convenient. Takes tiny insects caught in midair (or sometimes gleaned from foliage), flying out from a perch or hovering over streams to capture them. Readily comes to hu
mmingbird feeders.

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Mainly Sonora to Oaxaca, Mexico. Breeds in Guadalupe Canyon and elsewhere in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico. Migration: Probably permanent resident over most of its range, but present in
United States mostly in summer (a few have been known to winter).