The Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae) is a medium-sized hummingbird found in humid forest edges, clearings, and canopy of Central America and parts of northern South America, ranging from southern Mexico down through the Amazon basin. It appears mostly a warm, coppery brown at first glance, but up close reveals iridescent, glittering patches of violet-blue on the ear coverts (the "violetear" for which the group is named) and a small violet throat patch that can flash brightly in good light or appear dark and unremarkable in shade. Unlike many showier hummingbirds, its overall look is subdued and cryptic, helping it blend into shaded understory and forest-edge vegetation, where it feeds on nectar from flowering trees, shrubs, and epiphytes, as well as small insects for protein. Brown Violetears are known for their persistent, repetitive, chip-like song, often delivered from a high, exposed perch for extended periods, and they can be territorial around good nectar sources, engaging in chases with other hummingbirds.
