Learn what every symbol on the card means.Full credits and sources at beakbrain.com/symbols
ForestCup nestTiny · 3 g
ID tip
The wire-crested thorntail is one of the smallest birds on Earth, with a mature weight of about 2.5 g (0.088 oz). Males are about 11.4 cm (4.5 in) long, including tail extension, and females about 7.5 to 8.2 cm (3.0 to 3.2 in). Adults of both sexes have coppery green upperparts with a white band across the rump. Males have a glittering green crown with a thin hair-like crest. Its gorget is iridescent green, the flanks brownish with a white patch, and the rest of the underparts black. Voice: The only wire-crested thorntail vocalization that has been described is a "quiet, somewhat liquid 'tew'."
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Wire-crested Thorntail
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Wire-crested Thorntail
The map shades 3 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
About the Wire-crested Thorntail
The wire-crested thorntail is a hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in humid forests in the Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Bolivia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Black-bellied ThorntailDiscosura langsdorffiThe black-bellied thorntail weighs about 3.2 g (0.11 oz).
Racket-tipped ThorntailDiscosura longicaudusMale racket-tipped thorntails are 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long and females about 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in).
Letitia's ThorntailDiscosura letitiaeGraves described the specimens of Letitia's thorntail, but noted that the perceived colors of hummingbirds depend on the lighting and the observer's angle of view.
Side by side: Green Thorntail vs Wire-crested Thorntail
Learn the Wire-crested Thorntail in the BeakBrain App
Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
Play today's Daily BirdEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.