Swallow-tailed Hummingbird
Eupetomena macroura
Despite its tiny size, this hummingbird is incredibly aggressive and will boldly dive-bomb and chase away hawks, toucans, and other birds many times its size.
- Scientific name
- Eupetomena macroura
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Apodiformes › Trochilidae › Eupetomena
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Semi-open countryside, forest edges, parks, gardens, Cerrado, and caatinga shrublands.
- Diet
- Nectar from a wide variety of flowers, supplemented by small insects and spiders caught mid-air.
- Range
- Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Suriname, Peru
- Size
- 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) in length, weighing 8 to 9 grams.
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, heavy pesticide use which reduces insect prey, and urbanization.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These birds are extremely bold and may fly very close to inspect humans. Maintain a respectful distance of 2-3 meters to avoid disrupting their feeding. If one approaches, remain still and enjoy the encounter. They do not pose any threat of biting or stinging.
The swallow-tailed hummingbird ( Eupetomena macroura ) is a species in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae), found mainly in east-central South America. Most authorities place it in the genus Eupetomena , although some place it in Campylopterus based on song and the thick shafts of the males' first primaries. Its common name and specific epithet (which means "large-tailed") both refer to the long, deeply forked, somewhat swallow-like tail.
Photo: Diana Fuentes, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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