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Long-billed Starthroat

Heliomaster longirostris

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernNectarForestCup nestTiny · 7 g
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 1
Photo: Joao Quental · CC BY 2.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 2
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 3
Photo: Anthony Mora Aguilar · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 4
Photo: Anthony Mora Aguilar · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 5
Photo: Francisco Emilio Roldán Velasco · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 6
Photo: Francisco Emilio Roldán Velasco · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 7
Photo: Emilza Arrue de Chang · CC BY 4.0
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), photo 8
Photo: Maria Janeiro · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The long-billed starthroat is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 5.5 to 7.1 g (0.19 to 0.25 oz) and females about 6.5 g (0.23 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, almost straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. Males of the nominate subspecies have a glittering blue to greenish blue crown; the rest of its upperparts are dark bronzy green with the exception of a white stripe down the center of the rump. The face is black below the crown and has a white malar stripe below the black. Its tail is rather short and square-tipped. Voice: The long-billed starthroat's calls include "a rich liquid 'tseep' or 'tsew'" and "sqeaky twitters"; the latter is made during chases.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Long-billed Starthroat

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

Where to see the Long-billed Starthroat

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 18 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.

Costa Rica Ecuador Panama Colombia Peru Guatemala Trinidad & Tobago Brazil Mexico Venezuela El Salvador Honduras Guyana Nicaragua Bolivia Belize French Guiana Suriname

Recorded as a rare visitor in Paraguay.

About the Long-billed Starthroat

The long-billed starthroat is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and all but the four southernmost countries of South America.

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

Easily confused with

Plain-capped Starthroat (Heliomaster constantii) Plain-capped StarthroatHeliomaster constantiiThe plain-capped starthroat is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long. Blue-tufted Starthroat (Heliomaster furcifer) Blue-tufted StarthroatHeliomaster furciferThe blue-tufted starthroat is 12.6 to 13 cm (5.0 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5 to 6.5 g (0.18 to 0.23 oz). Stripe-breasted Starthroat (Heliomaster squamosus) Stripe-breasted StarthroatHeliomaster squamosusThe stripe-breasted starthroat is 11.2 to 12.4 cm (4.4 to 4.9 in) long and weighs 5 to 6.5 g (0.18 to 0.23 oz).

Side by side: Long-billed Starthroat vs Plain-capped Starthroat · Blue-tufted Starthroat vs Long-billed Starthroat · Long-billed Starthroat vs Stripe-breasted Starthroat

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