Crowned Woodnymph Thalurania colombica Scientific name definitions

Woodnymphs (Thalurania) are medium-sized hummingbirds with a slightly decurved, black bill; the males also have a noticeably forked tail, and glittering throat and belly. They inhabit the understory of humid lowland forest and in adjacent advanced second growth, and often are common. The Green-crowned Woodnymph is the representative of this genus that occurs from eastern Panama south to southwestern Ecuador. As the name implies, this is the only species of woodnymph in which the crown of the male is glittering green. Four subspecies of Green-crowned Woodnymph are recognized. The three northern subspecies all are very similar: the male has a green throat but a blue breast and belly, while the female has a gray throat and the belly is mixed dark gray and dark green. The southernmost subspecies, hypochlora of southwestern Ecuador, is very different, however: the male is entirely green below, while the underparts of the female are all pale gray.

Male 9·5–11·5 cm, 4–5·5 g; female 8·5–9·2 cm, 3·5–4·2 g. Bill black, feet dark grey. Male has forehead and crown, belly and upper back violet, throat and chest glittering green, nape dark bronzy green, lower back and rump dark bluish green, tail blue-black and deeply forked. Female is bright green above, pale grey on the throat and chest, and darker grey on the belly; the distal half of the tail is blue-black with the outer three rectrices white-tipped. Juvenile male of all races has crown, throat, and underparts dusky with 25 or fewer iridescent purple feathers, outer rectrices blackish, tinged purple without white tips, and tail fork < 12 mm; juvenile female has green crown, upperparts uniformly dull green, throat and underparts pale grey, outer rectrices with white tips, and tail fork < 4·5 mm. Race rostrifera much like nominate, but back is all green and differs from other races mainly in longer bill; in venusta, male is larger and longer-tailed with the nape very dark blue-green, female has belly much darker, dusky grey glossed with green; in townsendi male has violet below restricted to sides, with green belly and bronzy nape, female dark grey below; male subtropicalis similar but has nape more bronzy, less violet on back, and tail shorter and less forked, while female has paler grey belly; these tendencies further accentuated in <em>verticeps</em> , which race is also like fannyae, but has back green; in race <em>hypochlora</em> male has belly mostly green with little violet, blue nuchal collar and breast-sides, and white-fringed undertail-coverts, and female uniform pale grey below, with undertail-coverts like male.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Possible song a monotonously repeated, single, plaintive squeaky chip, “ksit...ksit...ksit..”, at rate of c. 1·5 notes/second (colombica group) or a monotonously repeated single chip, e.g. “tsip...tsip...tsip..”, at rate of c. 1·2–2 notes/second (fannyae group). Calls include short dry chips, often given in rapid succession as dry trill or chatter, e.g. a scratchy “chut-t-t”.

Mainly during dry season (Feb–Jun) in Costa Rica; Mar in Panama; Mar–Jul or Aug, perhaps later, in N & C Colombia; Feb–Sept in NW Colombia, Jan–Nov in SW Colombia. Male may defend rich flowers to attract female. Nest a compact cup of treefern scales, plant down and cobweb, decorated on outside with lichens and moss, on horizontal twig of shrub under overhanging leaf, in forest; often at edge of small gap or trail, 1–5 m above ground (occasionally to 8 m). Clutch size two white eggs. No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. One of the commonest forest hummingbirds over most of range (very common in Costa Rica, abundant in Colombia, common in Venezuela), but suffering considerable habitat loss due to deforestation in many areas, notably parts of Central America and N Colombia (more local and less numerous on slopes overlooking Cauca Valley, but able to use disturbed or fragmented forest in many areas); severe deforestation of W Ecuadorian lowlands may well threaten the distinctive race <em>hypochlora</em> , on which more information is urgently required; race hypochlora is also uncommon in NW Peru (Tumbes). Occurs in several protected areas, e.g. Carara Biological Reserve, Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, and Corcovado and Braulio Carrillo National Parks (Costa Rica), Buenaventura Reserve (Ecuador, hypochlora) and the Northwest Biosphere Reserve (Peru, hypochlora).