Colibrí Grande de Cola Oliva
Violet-chested Hummingbird
Sternoclyta cyanopectus
Song
Violet-chested Hummingbird
Appearance: The Violet-chested Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird with a fairly long bill. The male is mostly glittering green above, with a rich violet-blue chest patch, green throat, and darker wings and tail. The female is duller, greener above and paler below, with less intense violet or bluish coloring.
Habitat: It lives mainly in humid subtropical forest and woodland, especially dense understory, damp ravines, Heliconia thickets, forest edges, mature secondary forest, and sometimes coffee plantations. It is usually found from about 700 to 2,000 m, though records can occur from near sea level up to around 2,000 m.
Behavior: This hummingbird feeds mostly on nectar, often deep inside forest vegetation and ravines. It also catches small insects. It is considered mostly sedentary, meaning it does not make long migrations.
Breeding: Breeding information is best known from Venezuela. A study of nests in Yacambú National Park found that the female lays two white eggs; incubation averaged about 20 days, and the nestling period about 26 days.
Conservation Status: The Violet-chested Hummingbird is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
MALE
FEMALE
Distribution
Eastern Andes: Very local in the northeastern part of the range.
Norte de Santander: The most important Colombian area for this species.
Taxonomy
The Violet-chested Hummingbird (Sternoclyta cyanopectus
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves (Birds)
- Order: Caprimulgiformes
- Family: Trochilidae
- Genus: Sternoclyta
- Species: cyanopectus
Vocalization
Primary Song: A repeated series of sharp notes, often described as “chit! … chit! … chit!” The notes are spaced and clear rather than musical.
Second Song Type: A mixture of “chip” and “weet” notes, sometimes combined with short, squeaky trills.
Foraging Call: While feeding, it gives loud, staccato chipping notes, especially in dense understory, ravines, or Heliconia thickets.
Territorial Calls: Because it defends flower patches, it may use sharp chipping notes during encounters with other hummingbirds.
