Blue-throated Hummingbird

Lampornis clemenciaeOrder: APODIFORMES Family: Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Codes: Common Name: BTHH Scientific Name: LAMCLE ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178054

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Overview

Blue-throated Hummingbird: Large hummingbird with bronze-green upperparts, bronze-brown rump, brilliant purple-blue throat, gray underparts. Tail is dark, occasionally washed with blue-black, and has white corners. Feeds on nectar and insects. Direct and hovering flight with very rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

Blue-throated Hummingbird: Breeds in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, and western Texas and spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include pine-oak forests, usually near water; comes down to lower elevations during winter months.

Topo Map: Hummingbird-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"seep-seep-seep-seep"

Interesting Facts

The Blue-throated Hummingbird is about three times heavier than the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Up to three broods per year are possible under ideal conditions; the female usually builds each new nest atop the previous nest, leading to nest "towers" at traditional nest sites.

A group of hummingbirds has many collective nouns, including a “bouquet", "glittering", "hover", "shimmer", and "tune” of hummingbirds.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Blue-throated Hummingbird

● Song: "seep-seep-seep-seep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Blue-throated Hummingbird: Feeds on nectar and small arthropods, searching around flowers and leaves for various insects, spiders, and plant lice; prefers hunting in honeysuckle, gilia, and agave. Heavy diet of insects allows it to survive and thrive in areas where more nectar dependant species cannot.

● Breeding & nesting: Blue-throated Hummingbird: Two white eggs are laid in a large cup nest with green mosses woven into the outside wall and fastened to a vertical plant stalk or utility wire, usually over or near water. Incubation ranges from 17 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Blue-throated Hummingbird: Male Blue-throated Hummingbird is unmistakable. Female is similar to female Magnificent Hummingbird, but has large white tips to tail and white moustache stripe streak.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight with rapid wing beats.

Blue-throated Hummingbird Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Blue-throated Hummingbird: Breeds in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, and western Texas and spends winters in Mexico. Preferred habitats include pine-oak forests, usually near water; comes down to lower elevations during winter months.

^BreedingSolitary nester

^PopulationVery restricted range in SW U.S., Fairly common in summer

^MigrationSome migrate

^Weight0.3 Ounces

Hummingbird-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America