Video Transcript:
The highlands of Costa Rica are home to some really beautiful and unique hummingbirds! Costa Rica has 52 species of hummingbirds and many live in the mountains of the Talamanca and Central Mountain ranges. Nine of those species are what scientists refer to as endemic; which means they are found nowhere else in the world.
Volcano Hummingbird
The Volcano hummingbird is the second smallest hummingbird in the country. In Costa Rica, there are three different subspecies and the males all have different colored throats. On the Irazú and Turrialba Volcanoes, they have a dull purple throat. The ones on the Poás and Barva volcanoes have a rose-colored throat. And the most common one, that you can see here, from the Talamanca mountains has a Purplish-gray throat.
They live from 2000 meters and higher in the mountains. They thrive on open areas which is why they are so common on volcanoes. They benefit from the forests being destroyed after volcanic eruptions.
Talamanca Hummingbird
On the other end of the size spectrum, the Talamanca Hummingbird is the third-largest hummingbird in Costa Rica. The males have an iridescent violet crown and blue throat. Previously, these were considered a subspecies of the Magnificent Hummingbird which is found in Mexico and other parts of Central America. However, in 2017 closer analysis led to it being considered a completely separate species.
In English it is called the Talamanca Hummingbird, after the Talamanca mountains, it is endemic to. However, in Spanish, it is still called the Colibrí Magnífico with its previous name. I’ve proposed changing the Spanish name to the scientific committee of Costa Rica’s Ornithological Society and I’m hopeful it will soon be called the Colibrí de Talamanca.
Lesser Violetear
It’s obvious where the Lesser Violetear got its name. The violetear comes from the violet-colored feathers over its ear. During breeding season these hummingbirds can be quite noisy when a male perches on an open branch and sings all day long.
Mountain-Gems
The Mountain-Gems are hard to capture! They’re less abundant and more skittish than the other species mentioned thus far. Costa Rica has three endemic species of Mountain-Gems. The White-bellied, Purple-throated, and in these pictures the White-throated Mountain-Gems.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
I saved my favorite one for last. The Fiery-throated Hummingbird shows just about every color you will find on a hummingbird. Oranges, blues, greens, blacks – an entire rainbow of colors! Unlike some of the other species mentioned where the male is quite brilliant while the female is rather drab, both sexes look about the same in the Fiery-throated hummingbird. And both species are aggressive and will chase off other hummingbirds of the same or other species.
Conclusion
Which one of these is your favorite hummingbird? Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget to like this video and subscribe for more content about wildlife and how to capture photos and videos of it.