A small hummingbird with distinctive long down-curved bill. Restricted to a tiny range in southwestern US.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. Its habitat is in high-altitude areas of northern Mexico and southwestern United States. It winters in central Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia — Lucifer sheartail Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slim hummingbird with a noticeably decurved (downcurved) bill; male has a magenta-purple gorget that flares at the sides and a forked tail. Female buffy below.
Similar species. Other U.S. hummingbirds have straighter bills; the curved bill plus flaring purple gorget marks the male Lucifer.
Voice. A high, dry chatter and soft 'chip' notes.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Flower nectar; small insects and spiders for protein.
Behavior. A hummingbird of arid agave and ocotillo slopes in the Big Bend region; the male displays over a perched female with shuttle flights.
§ Range
Big Bend region, Texas; Mexico
§ Habitat
Desert and arid mountain areas
§ Threats
Habitat loss, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the lucifer hummingbird is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support southwestern desert conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Lucifer sheartail
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Calothorax lucifer
- IUCN Red List — search for Calothorax lucifer
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Calothorax lucifer
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
