White-crested Coquette

The White-crested Coquette, known scientifically as Lophornis adorabilis, is a diminutive hummingbird species adorned with a distinctive white crest. This avian jewel measures approximately 7 cm in length and tips the scales at a mere 2.7 grams. The male is particularly striking with his coppery bronze forehead and lores, and a resplendent white crest that stands erect upon his crown. His nape and back shimmer with bronzy green, while a white band demarcates the transition to his purplish bronze rump and uppertail coverts. The tail is a warm chestnut-rufous, edged in bronze, and his throat and cheeks glint with a glittering green, the latter adorned with elongated, wispy tufts. A white band distinctly separates his throat from the cinnamon-rufous underparts. His bill is a striking red with a black tip, adding to his allure.

Identification Tips

The adult male White-crested Coquette can be identified by his white crest and long cheek tufts. The female, in contrast, is more subdued in coloration, lacking the male's crest and tufts. She has a dusky bronze face and forecrown, with a white throat and chest speckled with bronzy green. Both sexes have a chestnut-rufous tail, but the female's features a black band near the end. The immature birds resemble the adult female but with variations in the throat and tail banding.

Habitat

This species favors the interior and edges of humid forests, as well as taller secondary growth. It can also be found in more open landscapes, such as hedgerows, from sea level to elevations exceeding 1,200 meters.

Distribution

The White-crested Coquette graces the Pacific side of southern Costa Rica, extending inland to the Cordillera Central, and is also found on the Pacific slope of far western Panama.

Behaviour

The White-crested Coquette exhibits a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, often congregating in areas abundant with blooming trees before vanishing to other locales.

Song & Calls

When feeding, this species emits a soft, liquid "tseping" sound, adding a delicate note to the forest soundscape.

Breeding

Breeding occurs early in the dry season, from December to February. The male's courtship display involves a side-to-side arcing flight in front of a perched or hovering female. The female constructs a cup nest from plant down and cobwebs, adorned with lichen, and suspended from a branch, sometimes at dizzying heights of up to 18 meters. The typical clutch consists of two eggs, with fledglings leaving the nest after 21 to 22 days.

Diet and Feeding

The White-crested Coquette feeds primarily on nectar, which it seeks in the forest canopy and at lower levels. It also gleans small arthropods from foliage while hovering.

Conservation status

The IUCN has classified the White-crested Coquette as Least Concern, with an estimated population of at least 20,000 mature individuals. However, the population is on a declining trend, primarily due to deforestation and habitat reduction, which poses a significant threat to this and many other species.