Crowned Woodnymph
Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica)
Name Origin:
The genus name Thalurania comes from Greek thalos (“youth” or “bloom”) and ouranos (“heaven” or “sky”), a poetic reference to the bird’s radiant plumage. The species name colombica honors Colombia, the region where the species was first described.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in)
⚖️ Weight: 4–5 g (0.14–0.18 oz)
🌎 Range: Eastern Guatemala and Honduras through Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and northwestern Peru
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid forest, secondary growth, and forest edges
🧬 Clade: Trochilini “Emeralds” (tropical forest hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Crowned Woodnymph (Northern Violet-crowned Group)
1. Thalurania colombica townsendi
Distribution: Eastern Guatemala to southeastern Honduras.
2. Thalurania colombica venusta
Distribution: Eastern Nicaragua to central Panama.
Crowned Woodnymph (Colombian Violet-crowned Group)
3. Thalurania colombica colombica
Distribution: Northern Colombia (south to head of Magdalena Valley) and northwestern Venezuela (Andes south from northern Lara).
4. Thalurania colombica rostrifera
Distribution: Western Venezuela (southwestern Táchira).
Crowned Woodnymph (Green-crowned Group)
5. Thalurania colombica fannyae
Distribution: Eastern Panama (eastern San Blas and Darién) to southwestern Colombia.
6. Thalurania colombica subtropicalis
Distribution: West-central Colombia, in the Cauca Valley and along the adjacent western and central Andes.
7. Thalurania colombica verticeps
Distribution: Pacific slope of western Andes of extreme southwestern Colombia (western Nariño) and western Ecuador (northern Los Ríos, southern Manabí, and northern Guayas).
Crowned Woodnymph (Emerald-bellied Group)
8. Thalurania colombica hypochlora
Distribution: Pacific lowlands of southern Ecuador (northeastern Guayas, southwestern Chimborazo) and northwestern Peru (Tumbes).
Species Overview
The Crowned Woodnymph is one of the most widely distributed and visually stunning hummingbirds of the Neotropics. Males of the northern “violet-crowned” forms gleam with deep violet and emerald hues, while southern “green-crowned” and “emerald-bellied” forms shine with brilliant greens and turquoise. Adaptable and active, it is common in humid lowland and foothill forests, edges, and gardens across Central and northwestern South America.
Male Description:
The male has a vivid metallic green back, iridescent violet crown, throat, and chest, and a blue-violet belly that glows differently by region and subspecies. The tail is dark blue to purplish-black, slightly forked, and flashes brightly during flight.
Female Description:
The female has green upperparts, grayish-white underparts, and a bluish tail with white tips on the outer feathers. Her throat and sides show scattered green flecks.
Habitat & Behavior:
This species inhabits humid forests, second growth, and shaded plantations, typically from sea level to 1,800 meters. It feeds on nectar from Heliconia, Psychotria, and Inga flowers and often joins mixed feeding flocks or visits feeders. The Crowned Woodnymph is territorial yet tolerates other species at abundant food sources. Its quick, darting movements and radiant colors make it one of the most conspicuous hummingbirds across its range.
Conservation Note:
The Crowned Woodnymph is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common and stable throughout its extensive range. It tolerates moderate disturbance and thrives in forest edges and gardens. However, deforestation of humid lowland forests continues to reduce some local populations, particularly in Central America. Protecting lowland rainforest corridors and reforested slopes supports healthy populations of this brilliant Trochilini hummingbird.
Below is the Crowned Woodnymph (Northern Violet-crowned), (Thalurania colombica venusta)
Photographed in Limón and Puntarenas, Costa Rica
This individual belongs to the subspecies venusta, which occurs in the Caribbean lowlands and foothills of Costa Rica and south into Panama. It is found in humid forest, shaded understory, and forest edges where flowering shrubs and small trees are present.
Below is the Crowned Woodnymph (Colombian Violet-crowned), (Thalurania colombica colombica)
Photographed in Magdalena and Cauca, Colombia
These individuals represent the nominate subspecies colombica, found in northern Colombia in humid foothill forest and forest edge zones. In these regions it occupies shaded flowering understory and often visits gardens and semi-open clearings.
