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  3. Purple-throated Mountain-gem

One of the 11 hummingbirds on WAnimals

Purple-throated Mountain-gem (Lampornis calolaemus)

Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae

Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Lampornis calolaemus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.

Spotted something wrong?

The purple-throated mountain-gem is a sturdy hummingbird of the Central American cloud forests, bronzy green with an iridescent purple or pink throat in the male. It is one of the commonest species at the feeders of the Monteverde reserves and of Cerro de la Muerte in Costa Rica, and one of the most photographed birds in the country.

Weight

5 g – 7 g

Size

10 cm – 11 cm

Life expectancy

8 years

Diet

Nectarivore

Feeds mainly on flower nectar.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

RainforestMountain
3countries5parks15same family

AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.

Fun facts

  • It is one of the commonest species at the feeders of the Costa Rican reserves, and its territorial behaviour means a single male can monopolise a feeder by driving off dozens of other birds.
  • It pierces the base of tubular flowers to steal the nectar without pollinating them, behaviour known as nectar robbing that it shares with several short-billed hummingbirds.
  • Its whole range fits into a handful of mountain ranges in Costa Rica, Panama and southern Nicaragua, always in cloud forest above a thousand metres.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat and environment
Understorey and clearings of montane cloud forest in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua
Sexual maturity
12 months
Gestation / incubation
17 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size
2 eggs

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Animal Diversity Web · Wikipedia (es)

Where to find it

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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Purple-throated Mountain-gem — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Same taxonomic family
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Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about purple-throated mountain-gem.

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See its range on the interactive map→
MonteverdeCosta Rica
Arenal VolcanoCosta Rica
Barú VolcanoPanama
Poás VolcanoCosta Rica
Los QuetzalesCosta Rica
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Ruby-throated HummingbirdLeast Concern

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Archilochus colubris

Least Concern

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus hoffmanni

CountriesCosta Rica
ParksMonteverdeCosta Rica
TagsNectarivore
Nectarivore
Diurnal
Solitary
Bird
Rainforest
Mountain
Costa Rica
Panama
Nicaragua