Diamante Frentiverde
Green-crowned Brilliant
Heliodoxa jacula
Song
Green-crowned Brilliant
Appearance: The Green-crowned Brilliant is a medium-sized hummingbird, about 12–13 cm long. The male is mostly bright emerald green, with a glittering green crown and throat, a small bluish or violet spot on the lower throat or chest, and a dark slightly forked tail. The female is greener above but paler below, with white or grayish underparts marked by green spotting, especially on the throat and breast. Young birds resemble females.
Habitat: It lives mainly in humid premontane and montane forest, cloud forest, forest edges, mature secondary forest, and shaded ravines. It is usually found in the middle and upper levels of forest, especially where flowering vines and epiphytes are abundant. In Colombia it is mostly a humid foothill and lower montane species, not a dry-country or high-páramo hummingbird.
Behavior: It feeds mainly on nectar, especially from flowering vines such as Marcgravia. It often feeds by clinging to flowers rather than hovering continuously. It also catches small insects and other arthropods. Males may defend rich flower patches, but they can also follow a “trapline,” visiting a regular circuit of flowering plants. It usually forages in the middle and upper forest strata.
Breeding: The breeding season is reported mainly from May to September. The nest is a bulky cup made of plant fibers and tree-fern scales, usually attached to a thin, downward-sloping branch. The female lays two white eggs and incubates them alone, as is typical for hummingbirds.
Conservation Status: The Green-crowned Brilliant is listed as Least Concern. by the IUCN Red List.
MALE
FEMALE
Distribution
Western Andes: Humid foothill and lower montane forest, especially on wet slopes and forest edges.
Chocó Region: Humid forests and cloud-forest edges.
Northwestern Colombia near Panama: It continues into Colombia from eastern Panama.
Nariño: 500 - 2000 m. It is best associated with wet forested slopes, forest edges, and cloud-forest zones of the west.
Taxonomy
The Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Caprimulgiformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Genus: Heliodoxa
- Species: jacula
Vocalization
Main call: A loud, squeaky “kyew” or “tyew” call. This is one of the best-described sounds of the species.
Display Call: In displaying males, especially reported from Costa Rica, the call may be a repeated “tseek, tseek, tseek.”
Aggressive Calls: During chases or disputes, it gives loud sputtering notes and squeaks, often around feeding areas or territories.
Feeding Calls: Males may defend rich flower patches, especially Marcgravia vines, and can give sharp squeaky notes during these interactions.
