Crowned Woodnymph
Thalurania colombica
Male crowned woodnymphs are 9.5 to 11.5 cm (3.7 to 4.5 in) long and weigh 4 to 5.5 g (0.14 to 0.19 oz). Females are 8.5 to 9.2 cm (3.3 to 3.6 in) long and weigh 3.5 to 4.2 g (0.12 to 0.15 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies T. c. colombica have a violet forehead, crown, upper back, and belly. Their nape is dark bronzy green and lower back and rump dark bluish green. Their throat and chest are glittering green. Their deeply forked tail is blue-black. Adult females have bright green upperparts, pale gray throat and chest, and darker gray belly. Voice: What is thought to be the crowned woodnymph's song is "a monotonously repeated, single, plaintive squeaky chip, 'ksit...ksit...ksit..'". It also makes "short dry chips as dry trill or chatter".
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
Thalurania furcata
Fork-tailed woodnymph males are 9.5 to 12.9 cm (3.7 to 5.1 in) long and weigh 3.6 to 6 g (0.13 to 0.21 oz). Females are 8 to 10.7 cm (3.1 to 4.2 in) long and weigh 3 to 5 g (0.11 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a straight, black, medium-length bill. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have mostly dark bronzy green upperparts, dark dusky bronze crown and nape, and a violet band across the upper back. Their throat is glittering green, the belly violet, and the undertail coverts dark steely blue with dull white edges. Their tail is forked and blue-black. Voice: The fork-tailed woodnymph's song varies somewhat geographically. In Ecuador and Peru it is "an incessant series of high-pitched bisyllabic, thin wiry notes 'see-tseet...see-tseet....see-tseet...'". In eastern Venezuela it is describes as a "repeated variable series of 3–7 insect-like pulsing notes 'tsee-see-see....tsee-see-see-see-see...tsee-see-see...'".
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where you might meet both
Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App
Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Crowned Woodnymph and Fork-tailed Woodnymph.