Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Mexican Sheartail

Doricha eliza

The Mexican sheartail, scientifically known as Doricha eliza, is a diminutive hummingbird species, with a weight ranging from a mere 2.4 to 2.6 grams. Exhibiting sexual dimorphism, the males are slightly larger than the females, with a length including the tail of 9 to 10 centimeters, while females measure approximately 8.5 to 9 centimeters. The species is adorned with a long, curved, and black bill, a dull green crown, and bronzy-green upperparts.

Identification Tips

Males can be identified by their white postocular stripe and a striking pink-purple throat, which is bordered below by a white band. Their underparts are a duller green, with clearer tones on the median belly, and their long, deeply forked tails are typically held closed. The inner tail feathers are green, transitioning to black with cinnamon inner margins. Females, on the other hand, have a whitish face with a blackish stripe behind the eye and a whitish throat, chest, and belly with cinnamon tinges on the sides. Their shorter forked tails feature reddish outer feathers with a subterminal black band and white tips. Immature birds resemble females in appearance.

Habitat

The Mexican sheartail is endemic to Mexico, favoring subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry shrublands, mangroves, and even adapting to rural gardens and urban areas. A notable habitat is the Petenes mangroves ecoregion on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Distribution

This species is found exclusively in Mexico, with two separate populations: one in central Veracruz and another along the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Behaviour

The Mexican sheartail is primarily nectarivorous, visiting flowers such as Ipomoea, Justicia, and Helicteres guazumaefolia to feed. It also supplements its diet with small arthropods. Breeding occurs from May in Veracruz and between August and April in Yucatán. The species constructs tiny cup-shaped nests from lichens, spider webs, and seeds from daisy family plants, laying two eggs. Fledglings have been observed in Yucatán during February and March.

Conservation Status

With a fragmented range and a small population size—fewer than 2,500 individuals in Veracruz and between 6,000 and 10,000 along the Yucatán coastal strip—the Mexican sheartail faces habitat degradation due to agricultural expansion, residential development, and tourism-related activities. The IUCN has classified the species as "Near Threatened," indicating a population in decline.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Mexican Sheartails on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Leonardo Guzmán
Leonardo Guzmán
20 Oct 2022 - 11:04am
Mexico

More Hummingbirds

A photo of a Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys)

Speckled Hummingbird

Adelomyia melanogenys
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Pdydhdrexgi
Fantastic App
This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.