Brown Violetear
Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae)
Name Origin:
The genus name Colibri comes from the Carib word for “hummingbird,” while the species name delphinae honors Madame Adélaïde Delphine, a French naturalist and patron of 19th-century zoology.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in)
⚖️ Weight: 5.5–6.5 g (0.19–0.23 oz)
🌎 Range: Southern Mexico through Central America to western Amazonia and southeastern Brazil
🧭 Elevation: 400–2,500 m (1,300–8,200 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Forest edges, clearings, secondary growth, and gardens
🧬 Clade: Trochilini "Emeralds" (mid-elevation hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN)
Subspecies & Distribution
Monotypic species with no recognized subspecies.
Distribution: Occurs from southern Mexico (Chiapas) through Central America and the Andes to western Amazonia and southeastern Brazil. Found in humid and semi-humid forests, open woodland, plantations, and gardens, typically between 400 and 2,500 meters, occasionally higher.
Species Overview
The Brown Violetear is a large, wide-ranging hummingbird notable for its rich brown plumage and bright violet ear patches. It is one of the most vocal and conspicuous hummingbirds in the Neotropics, frequently visiting flowering trees, clearings, and feeders. Its adaptability allows it to thrive from dense Andean forests to suburban gardens.
Male Description:
The male is overall bronzy-brown with a greenish gloss on the upperparts and a brilliant violet-blue ear patch on each side of the head. The tail is dark bronze with faint rufous reflections, and the bill is black, straight, and medium-length. During courtship or territorial displays, the male flares his violet patches and sings from prominent perches.
Female Description:
The female is similar but slightly duller overall, with smaller and less iridescent violet patches and paler underparts. She shares the same bronzy tones but lacks the intense throat and ear coloration of the male.
Habitat & Behavior:
This species occurs in forest edges, secondary growth, plantations, and gardens, favoring open areas near tall flowering trees. It feeds on nectar from Inga, Hamelia, Fuchsia, and Calliandra, often competing with other hummingbirds at shared resources. It is a vocal and territorial species, producing rapid, dry tsik-tsik-tsik notes in repetition. Males often sing persistently from perches, forming loose aggregations or “leks” where females visit briefly.
Conservation Note:
The Brown Violetear is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains abundant and widespread throughout its large range. Its adaptability to disturbed and human-modified habitats helps maintain stable populations. Regional declines may occur due to deforestation in humid foothill forests, but overall, it remains one of the most successful and resilient members of the Trochilini hummingbirds.
taken in Costa Rica
taken in Colombia
taken in Peru
