Colibrí Gigante
Giant Hummingbird
Patagona gigas
Song
Giant Hummingbird
Appearance: The Giant Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird in the world, much bigger than most Colombian hummingbirds. It is about the size of a small songbird, with a long straight bill, long wings, and a long slightly forked tail. Its plumage is rather plain compared with many hummingbirds: mostly dull brownish, grayish, and bronzy-green, with paler underparts and a white or pale rump area that may show in flight. Its flight is slower and more swallow-like than that of tiny hummingbirds.
Habitat: It is mainly a bird of dry Andean valleys, arid slopes, scrub, cactus areas, rocky ravines, open montane shrubland, and high-elevation semi-open habitats. It is often associated with large nectar plants such as Puya bromeliads, agaves, cacti, and other Andean flowers. It is not a humid lowland forest hummingbird.
Behavior: It feeds on nectar from large tubular flowers and also catches small insects. Because of its large size, it often perches openly and flies more slowly than smaller hummingbirds. It may defend flowering plants but can also move widely through open Andean habitats looking for nectar. Southern populations are migratory, while northern Andean birds are described as more resident.
Breeding: The female builds a cup-shaped nest on a shrub, cactus, tree, or rocky site, using plant fibers, mosses, feathers, and spiderweb. The clutch is usually two white eggs, as in most hummingbirds. Breeding details vary by region, and Colombian breeding evidence is very limited or absent.
Conservation Status: The traditional Giant Hummingbird complex is generally treated as Least Concern.
MALE
FEMALE
Distribution
The Giant Hummingbird is not a regular widespread species. It would most likely be in extreme southern Colombia, especially near the Nariño–Ecuador border, in open high-Andean or dry montane habitats with suitable nectar plants such as Puya.
Taxonomy
The Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Caprimulgiformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Genus: Patagona
- Species: gigas
Vocalization
Contact Call: The contact call is a short, high, thin note, often sounding like “tsee,” “tsip,” or “tseep.” It is usually given while the bird is moving between perches, flying through its territory, or staying in loose contact with other birds nearby.
Feeding Call: The feeding call is a softer, brief chip or whistle, such as “chip,” “sip,” or “tsip.” It may be heard when the bird is visiting flowers or moving between nectar sources, especially in open Andean scrub or flowering slopes.
Territorial Call: The territorial call is sharper and more emphatic than the contact call, often repeated as “tsip! tsip! tsip!” It is used when the bird is defending flowers, perches, or feeding areas from other hummingbirds.
Aggressive Call: During chases, the call becomes faster and more excited, forming a rapid series such as “tsip-tsip-tsip-tsip!” or “tsee-tsee-tsee!” These notes may sound squeaky, dry, or slightly harsh as the bird pursues a rival.
