Lucifer Sheartail

Calothorax lucifer

Hummingbirds · Apodiformes · Uncommon

The Lucifer Sheartail (Calothorax lucifer) is a uncommon hummingbird found in 2 countries, weighing about 3 g. The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers.

Least ConcernUncommonEats nectarshrublandcup nest3 g

About the Lucifer Sheartail

The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. Its habitat is in high-altitude areas of northern Mexico and southwestern United States. It winters in central Mexico.

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

How to identify it

The lucifer sheartail is a medium-sized, 10-centimetre (3.9 in) long, green hummingbird with a long curved bill, small wings, and white streak behind its eye. The male has an iridescent plumage, forked dark tail, green crown, long magenta gorget, and white underparts. The female is larger with duller plumage, pale throat and white or buff feathers underside, usually with crimson trim.

Where it lives

When to see it

Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, with peak activity in August. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.

Watch the Lucifer Sheartail on live cams

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Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Lucifer Sheartail?
The lucifer sheartail is a medium-sized, 10-centimetre (3.9 in) long, green hummingbird with a long curved bill, small wings, and white streak behind its eye. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Lucifer Sheartail?
The Lucifer Sheartail is a tiny sized bird weighing about 3 g.
Where can you see a Lucifer Sheartail?
The Lucifer Sheartail occurs in 2 countries, including the United States and Mexico.
What birds look similar to a Lucifer Sheartail?
The Lucifer Sheartail is most easily confused with the Beautiful Sheartail.
Is the Lucifer Sheartail endangered?
The Lucifer Sheartail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Lucifer Sheartail for real

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