Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl), Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, Ecuador, South America.

A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) feeds at the lower elevations (about 1400 meters) of Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, near Quito, Ecuador, South America. The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird which breeds from east-central Mexico, through Central America and Colombia, east to western Venezuela and south through western Ecuador to near the border with Peru. This is a common to abundant bird of open country, river banks, woodland, scrub, forest edge, coffee plantations and gardens up to 1850 m (6000 ft). The adult throat is green (edged whitish in the female), the crown, back and flanks are green tinged golden, the belly is pale greyish, the vent and rump are rufous and the slightly forked tail is rufous with a dusky tip. The almost straight bill is red with a black tip; broadest on the upper mandible, which may appear all black. Immatures are virtually identical to the female. The female Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in a compact cup nest constructed from plant-fibre and dead leaves 1-6 m high on a thin horizontal twig. Incubation takes 15-19 days, and fledging another 20-26. The food of this species is nectar, taken from a variety of flowers, including Heliconias and bananas. Like other hummingbirds it also takes small insects as an essential source of protein. Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds are very aggressive, and defend flowers and scrubs in their feeding territories. They are dominant over most other hummingbirds.

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Filename: 09ECU-2190_Bellavista-Ecuador.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / Photoseek.com
Image Size: 4500x3819 / 3.9MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Animalia Aves Bellavista Cloud Forest Ecuador Mindo South America Tandayapa Valley adventure animal avian bird equator highlands nature travel vertebrate wildlife Andes animal
Contained in galleries: ECUADOR: Quito, Highlands

A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) feeds at the lower elevations (about 1400 meters) of Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, near Quito, Ecuador, South America. The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird which breeds from east-central Mexico, through Central America and Colombia, east to western Venezuela and south through western Ecuador to near the border with Peru. This is a common to abundant bird of open country, river banks, woodland, scrub, forest edge, coffee plantations and gardens up to 1850 m (6000 ft). The adult throat is green (edged whitish in the female), the crown, back and flanks are green tinged golden, the belly is pale greyish, the vent and rump are rufous and the slightly forked tail is rufous with a dusky tip. The almost straight bill is red with a black tip; broadest on the upper mandible, which may appear all black. Immatures are virtually identical to the female. The female Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in a compact cup nest constructed from plant-fibre and dead leaves 1-6 m high on a thin horizontal twig. Incubation takes 15-19 days, and fledging another 20-26. The food of this species is nectar, taken from a variety of flowers, including Heliconias and bananas. Like other hummingbirds it also takes small insects as an essential source of protein. Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds are very aggressive, and defend flowers and scrubs in their feeding territories. They are dominant over most other hummingbirds.