Volcano Hummingbird, by David Whited

David Whited

Volcano Hummingbird,

Digital photography

Inv: MM-1586

The Volcano Hummingbird (*Selasphorus flammula*) is a tiny, high-altitude hummingbird endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, with males showing a distinctive gorget that varies geographically from purplish-pink to reddish-magenta bordered by a dark band, set against otherwise fairly plain grayish-green plumage, while females are duller with a spotted throat and rounded, buffy-tipped tail; true to its name, it inhabits high-elevation volcanic slopes, páramo, and scrubby subalpine forest edges, typically above 2,000 meters, where it feeds on nectar from flowering shrubs and small insects, fiercely defending feeding territories with rapid chases and sharp chip notes despite its diminutive size.