Green Violet-ear Hummingbird - a photo on Flickriver

            Just Outside San Jose
Virgin Forest Reserve
Costa Rica
Talamanca Mountains

Today is WORLD EARTH DAY April 22 

The lesser violetear (Colibri cyanotus), also known as the mountain violet-ear, is a medium-sized, metallic green hummingbird species commonly found in forested areas from Costa Rica to northern South America. This species and the Mexican violetear were formerly considered as conspecific and named the 'green violetear.

Solitary males sing from high, exposed twigs in their territory every day. Their song is a monotonously repeated sharp and dry “tsu-tzeek” at a rate of about one call per second.

The lesser violetear breeds from the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama; mountains of northern Venezuela, and the Andes from western Venezuela to western Bolivia.

Common habitats for the lesser violetear are in the canopy and borders of subtropical and lower temperate forest, secondary woodland and scrub, and clearings and gardens in the subtropical zone on both slopes of the Andes. It is recorded mostly between altitudes of 1,200 to 2,300 m (3,900 to 7,500 ft), though they will sometimes wander as far down as 500 m (1,600 ft) in search of food sources. It generally prefers more humid and high-altitude areas, such as cloud forests..

The lesser violetear forages alone but tends to gather at flowering trees, especially coffee-shade Inga. They feed at mid-level to canopy and often hold and defend a feeding territory. They primarily feed on nectar and small insects. The lesser violetear has been recorded as attaining the greatest flying speed ever recorded for a hummingbird, with a pair of birds having attained 90 mph (140 km/h) during a chase, although other species may be able to attain similar speeds. – Wikipedia

Taken in: Costa Rica / Provincia de Alajuela / San Pedro (show map)

Taken on: March 12, 2011

Tags:

Costa Rica 2011

Just Outside San Jose

Talamanca Mountains

Mountain violet-ear

AKA Lesser Violet

Metallic Green

Costa Rica to Northern South America

“tsu-tzeek” a second

Subtropical Clearings and Gardens

Gather At Flowering Trees

Nectar

Insects

Cloud Forests

Sue Roehl

Pentax K-7

Handheld

Cropped

coth5

NGC « less

Sets appears in: • Costa Rica, March 2011

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