Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae

Lucifer Hummingbird

Calothorax lucifer

Least Concern

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

The Lucifer hummingbird is a desert hummingbird, with a notably downcurved bill and an intensely violet gorget in the male. It depends on the flowering agaves of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, and its arrival in the mountains of Texas coincides with those plants coming into flower. Its name refers not to the devil but to light: Lucifer means light-bearer, from the iridescence of its throat.

Weight

3 g – 4 g

Size

9 cm – 10 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

Easy

DesertMountainNectarivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Desert Mountain

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Fun facts

Its name does not come from the devil: Lucifer means light-bearer in Latin, and it was given for the violet iridescence of the male's throat.
Its downcurved bill is uncommon among North American hummingbirds and is adapted to the tubular flowers of the desert agaves and ocotillos.
The male courts with a U-shaped dive followed by a sideways display of the gorget, and sometimes performs more than twenty dives in a row in front of a single female.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Deserts with agaves and magueyes, arid canyons and thorn scrub of Mexico and the south-western United States
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 15 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calothorax_lucifer