Return of Bird of the Week: Black-crested Coquette
There’s a sub-family of hummingbirds called Coquettes, in the genus Lophornis. The Black-crested Coquette is the northernmost of the ten members of that sub-family. Andit’s a pretty spectacular little bird.
Black-crested Coquette, Costa Rica
Only the showy male has the fancy hairdo. The species ranges from southeastern Mexico to eastern Costa Rica, Black-crested is the only species of coquette to inhabit the Atlantic slope of Middle America. There’s also a small population of this species on the Pacific slope in the northern portion of its range. Black-crested Coquette prefers semi-open forested areas, second growth and plantations, and usually forages in the canopy by trap-lining at flowers or catching insects. The altitudinal range of Black-crested Coquette extends from the lowlands to at least 1200 meters.
This is a tiny hummingbird, with a length of between 6.7 and 7.3 centimeters. It weighs about 2.6 grams.
Very little is known about this species. It’s total population is unknown, and there isn’t safe access for research across much of its range. It does have a large geographic range; even though the population trend is not quantified, the IUCN Red List status for this species is rated as Least Concern.
Interesting bird, WC. Looks like Mother Nature ran out of brilliant colors on her palette and just tossed several dabs of whatever together and called it a day. Still, birds are fascinating and maddening at the same time. Do they need to brag about being able to fly without fossil fuels?