Return of Bird of the Week: Lesser Violetear
You can never have too many hummingbirds.
Lesser Violetear, Costa Rica
The Lesser Violetear was formerly lumped with its Mexican cousin as the Green Violetear. In 2016, the Green Violetear was split into the Mexican Violetear (Nicaragua north to Mexico) and the Lesser Violetear (Costa Rica south to Bolivia). If you’re a lister, it’s an armchair bird added to your life list. Lesser Violetear inhabits highland humid forest borders, clearings and highland pastures, and is resident throughout its range. It’s a pretty common feeder bird.
Lesser Violetear, Panama
Like most hummingbirds, this is a nectar feeder, adding insects to its diet primarily when feeding young. it lays two eggs and all maternal duties are performed by the female: nest-building, incubation and feeding the young. The male, apparently, is in charge of looking handsome.
So far as is known, the species is doing well. Human activity probably has little direct effect on Lesser Violetear, other than the local effects of habitat destruction. Since Lesser Violetear prefers open, shrubby habitats, rather than closed-canopy forest, it may even benefit from intermediate levels of habitat disturbance.
For more bird photographs, please visit Frozen Feather Images.