Black-billed Streamertail
Trochilus scitulus
The Black-billed Streamertail (Trochilus scitulus) is a rare hummingbird found only in Jamaica, weighing about 4 g. The black-billed streamertail is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae.










About the Black-billed Streamertail
The black-billed streamertail is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to eastern Jamaica.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The male black-billed streamertail is 22 to 24 cm (8.7 to 9.4 in) long including the 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in) tail streamers and weighs 4.0 to 5.8 g (0.14 to 0.20 oz). The female is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs 3.5 to 5.5 g (0.12 to 0.19 oz). Both sexes have a black bill. The male has a dull black to blue-black crown; it and the nape form a deep velvety black crest. The rest of its upperparts are bright grass green. Its tail is black with a green to bronzy green gloss. The next to outermost pair of tail feathers is very long, giving the species its English name.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Black-billed Streamertail?
- The male black-billed streamertail is 22 to 24 cm (8.7 to 9.4 in) long including the 10 to 13 cm (3.9 to 5.1 in) tail streamers and weighs 4.0 to 5.8 g (0.14 to 0.20 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Black-billed Streamertail?
- The Black-billed Streamertail is a tiny sized bird weighing about 4 g.
- Where can you see a Black-billed Streamertail?
- The Black-billed Streamertail is endemic to Jamaica, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Black-billed Streamertail?
- The Black-billed Streamertail is most easily confused with the Red-billed Streamertail.
- Is the Black-billed Streamertail endangered?
- The Black-billed Streamertail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Black-billed Streamertail for real
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