Azure-crowned Hummingbird

The azure-crowned hummingbird, Saucerottia cyanocephala, is a member of the "emeralds" tribe Trochilini within the hummingbird family. This diminutive avian jewel measures between 10 to 11.5 cm in length, with males slightly heavier, averaging around 5.8 g, and females at about 5.4 g. Both sexes boast a black maxilla and a pinkish mandible with a black tip on their slender bills.

Identification Tips

Adult males are distinguished by their bright metallic blue crowns, while females exhibit a more subdued blue to greenish-blue crown. Both genders share a metallic bronze nape and back, with a greenish bronze to bronze-green rump, uppertail coverts, and tail. Their faces are predominantly bluish-green, and their underparts are white, transitioning to metallic bronze-green on the sides and flanks. Immature birds resemble adults but are generally duller with buff-tipped uppertail coverts and a buff wash on the underparts.

Habitat

The azure-crowned hummingbird frequents the edges of humid evergreen forests, oak and pine-oak woodlands, scrublands, and secondary forests. It thrives at elevations ranging from 600 to 2,400 meters.

Distribution

This species is native to a range extending from the Mexican state of Tamaulipas through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and into north-central Nicaragua. A separate subspecies, S. c. chlorostephana, is found on the Mosquito Coast of eastern Honduras and northeastern Nicaragua.

Behaviour

The azure-crowned hummingbird is primarily sedentary, though it may engage in local seasonal movements. It is known to forage from the understory to the forest canopy, employing both trap-lining and territory defense strategies. In pine savannas, it has been observed hovering at needle clusters and bark crevices, possibly in search of arthropods or nectar from epiphytic flowers.

Song & Calls

The species emits a low, buzzy "dzzzrt" sound when both in flight and perched, which may be steadily repeated. Additionally, it produces a mellow, strong chipping that can evolve into a trill or rattle. The vocalizations of the isolated subspecies S. c. chlorostephana have not been distinctly described and may differ.

Breeding

Breeding seasons vary geographically, generally occurring from February to July. The azure-crowned hummingbird constructs a cup-shaped nest from locally available materials, often placed in a branch fork or saddled over a branch. In urban areas, nests have been found on utility wires.

Conservation Status

The IUCN has classified the azure-crowned hummingbird as Least Concern. It has a broad range and an estimated population of over 500,000 mature individuals. Although the population is believed to be in decline, there are no immediate threats identified, and human activity seems to have little short-term effect on its numbers.