Green Violet-ear
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[Photo] Green Violet-ear (Colibri thalassinus). Date June 11, 2007. Author Mmcnally

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The Green Violet-ear (Colibri thalassinus) is an attractive hummingbird that is a resident breeder in highlands from south-central Mexico, (the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt), to western Panama and in the Andes from northern Venezuela to Bolivia. It shows seasonal movements and wanders to the United States and even Canada.

The 10 cm long, 5-6 g weight male Green Violet-ear is unmistakable; it is mainly bright pale green, glittering and tinged with blue on the throat and breast. There is a violet patch running back and down from the eye, and the tail has a black band near its tip. The bill and feet are black.

The female plumage is generally like the male’s, but the glittering green is restricted to the throat, and the breast is slightly duller and bronze-tinted. Immature birds are like the female, but with rufous tints to the head, hindneck and rump, no glitter below and with buff fringes to the green plumage.

The habitat is open upland country with trees and scrubs. It apparently avoids very humid rainforest (Cuervo et al. 2003). The nest is a substantial cup of plant material 1-3m high in a tree, into which two white eggs are laid.

The Green Violet-ear song is a vigorous CHEEP-chut-chut, chip CHEET which is repeated interminably through the day. The call a dry chut. These birds visit flowers of many species of herbs, trees and scrubs for nectar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Violet-ear

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