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Blue-tailed Hummingbird

Saucerottia cyanura

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernNectarWoodlandTiny · 5 g
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 1
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 2
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 3
Photo: John Kenrick Gibson · CC0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 4
Photo: John Kenrick Gibson · CC0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 5
Photo: Grete Pasch · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 6
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 7
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 8
Photo: Tommy Andriollo · CC BY 4.0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 9
Photo: John Kenrick Gibson · CC0
Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanura), photo 10
Photo: John Kenrick Gibson · CC0

ID tip

The blue-tailed hummingbird is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long. One male specimen weighed 3.9 g (0.14 oz) and females weigh about 4.5 g (0.16 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a black bill with a reddish base to the mandible. Males of the nominate subspecies have a deep metallic green crown and back, a dull purplish bronze rump, and dark metallic bluish uppertail coverts. Their primaries and secondaries are chestnut and show as a patch on the closed wing. Their tail is dark metallic violet blue. Their underparts are mostly bright metallic green with dull steel blue undertail coverts. Voice: The blue-tailed hummingbird's song is "a short twitter". Its calls include "a hard, raspy bzzzrt ... hard chips, and high, sharp siik!, the last of which it makes in flight.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Blue-tailed Hummingbird

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Blue-tailed Hummingbird

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 4 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Guatemala Nicaragua Mexico Honduras

Recorded as a rare visitor in El Salvador.

About the Blue-tailed Hummingbird

The blue-tailed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Green-bellied Hummingbird (Saucerottia viridigaster) Green-bellied HummingbirdSaucerottia viridigasterThe green-bellied hummingbird is 8 to 10.5 cm (3.1 to 4.1 in) long and weighs 4.5 to 6.7 g (0.16 to 0.24 oz). Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird (Saucerottia castaneiventris) Chestnut-bellied HummingbirdSaucerottia castaneiventrisThe chestnut-bellied hummingbird is about 9 cm (3.5 in) long. Copper-tailed Hummingbird (Saucerottia cupreicauda) Copper-tailed HummingbirdSaucerottia cupreicaudaThe copper-tailed hummingbird is 8 to 10.5 cm (3.1 to 4.1 in) long and weighs 3.1 to 5 g (0.11 to 0.18 oz).

Side by side: Blue-tailed Hummingbird vs Indigo-capped Hummingbird · Blue-tailed Hummingbird vs Green-bellied Hummingbird

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