One of the 11 hummingbirds on WAnimals
Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae
Marvelous Spatuletail
Loddigesia mirabilis
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The marvellous spatuletail is one of the most extraordinary and most range-restricted birds in the world: it lives only within a few kilometres of the Utcubamba valley, in northern Peru. The male has just four tail feathers, two of them extremely long and tipped with violet-blue rackets that he can move independently. In courtship he swings them in front of the female at dizzying speed while holding himself in the air.
Weight
3 g – 4 g
Size
10 cm – 15 cm
Lifespan
6 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.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
Between 250 and 1,000 mature individuals
Fun facts
- GeneralIt has only four tail feathers, two of them racket-tipped, which it crosses in mid-air.
- The male has only four tail feathers, two of them extremely long and tipped with rackets that he can move separately, crossing and waving them in front of the female in a display no other bird matches.
- Its range is among the smallest of any bird in the world: a few kilometres of hillside in a single Peruvian valley.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Scrub and forest edge on the slopes of the Utcubamba valley, in northern Peru
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 17 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loddigesia_mirabilis
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Marvelous Spatuletail — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Giant Hummingbird
Patagona gigas
Crimson Topaz
Topaza pella
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Ensifera ensifera
Least ConcernShining Sunbeam
Aglaeactis cupripennis
Volcano Hummingbird
Selasphorus flammula
Cuban Emerald
Chlorostilbon ricordii
How to help
The marvelous spatuletail is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
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