Fork-tailed Woodnymph
Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata)
Name Origin:
The genus Thalurania derives from Greek thalos (“youth” or “bloom”) and ouranos (“heaven” or “sky”), referring to the radiant, heavenly colors of these hummingbirds. The species name furcata means “forked,” in reference to the deeply forked tail of the male.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in)
⚖️ Weight: 4.5–5.5 g (0.16–0.19 oz)
🌎 Range: Broadly distributed across northern and central South America
🧭 Elevation: Lowlands to 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small arthropods
🏡 Habitat: Humid lowland forest, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth
🧬 Clade: Trochilini “Emeralds” (lowland forest hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Thirteen subspecies:
1. Thalurania furcata refulgens
Distribution: Northeastern Venezuela (east from northeastern Anzoátegui); reports from Trinidad erroneous.
2. Thalurania furcata furcata
Distribution: Extreme eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northeastern Brazil (north of the Amazon in Pará and Amapá).
3. Thalurania furcata fissilis
Distribution: Eastern Venezuela and adjacent extreme western Guyana and northern Brazil (northern Roraima).
4. Thalurania furcata orenocensis
Distribution: Southern Venezuela (upper Orinoco region, Amazonas).
5. Thalurania furcata nigrofasciata
Distribution: Eastern Colombia (Guainía), northwestern Brazil (upper Rio Negro), and extreme southern Venezuela (southwestern Amazonas).
6. Thalurania furcata viridipectus
Distribution: Eastern foothills of the Andes and adjacent lowlands of eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and northeastern Peru (north of the Marañón River).
7. Thalurania furcata jelskii
Distribution: Most of eastern Peru and adjacent western Brazil.
8. Thalurania furcata simoni
Distribution: Upper Amazon region (south of the Amazon, west of the Rio Tefé) in extreme eastern Peru and western Brazil.
9. Thalurania furcata balzani
Distribution: North-central Brazil (south of the Amazon, east to the Rio Tapajós).
10. Thalurania furcata furcatoides
Distribution: Lower Amazon region of eastern Brazil (south of the Amazon, east from the Rio Tapajós).
11. Thalurania furcata boliviana
Distribution: Andean foothills and adjacent lowlands of southeastern Peru (from eastern Pasco) to east-central Bolivia (western Santa Cruz).
12. Thalurania furcata baeri
Distribution: Northeastern and central Brazil (Ceará south to Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás), south to Bolivia and north-central Argentina.
13. Thalurania furcata eriphile
Distribution: Southeastern Brazil (southern Bahia to Paraná), adjacent Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina (Misiones).
Species Overview
The Fork-tailed Woodnymph is one of the most widespread and polymorphic hummingbirds in tropical South America. Across its vast range, it inhabits a diversity of ecosystems — from Amazonian lowlands and foothill forests to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Its males exhibit rich emerald and violet iridescence, while females show elegant green and gray contrasts. The deep forked tail gives the species both its name and distinctive silhouette in flight.
Male Description:
The male has brilliant metallic green upperparts, a violet-blue throat and chest, and a glittering emerald belly. The tail is long and deeply forked, shimmering dark blue to purplish-black. The bill is straight, slender, and black. Subtle variations in throat color and intensity occur across subspecies and regions.
Female Description:
The female is green above, with grayish underparts, a white throat with green flecks, and a shorter, slightly notched blue-black tail tipped in white. She lacks the male’s intense violet iridescence but retains the same elegant structure and graceful flight.
Habitat & Behavior:
Prefers humid forest and edge habitats, including secondary growth, riparian forest, and shaded plantations. It feeds on nectar from Heliconia, Inga, Psychotria, and Palicourea, often following traplines or defending rich flower patches. The Fork-tailed Woodnymph is active and agile, darting swiftly between flowers and perches, with a sharp, metallic call.
Conservation Note:
The Fork-tailed Woodnymph is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its extensive range and adaptability. It is locally abundant in suitable habitats and tolerant of moderate forest disturbance. Nonetheless, deforestation and fragmentation in parts of the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Forest have caused localized declines. Populations remain stable in numerous protected areas, including Serra do Mar State Park (Brazil), Madidi National Park (Bolivia), and Yasuní National Park (Ecuador). Its remarkable geographic variation continues to make it a key species for evolutionary and biogeographic study within the Trochilini.
Below is the Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata baeri)
Photographed at Jardim dos Beija-Flores, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
This individual belongs to the subspecies baeri, which occurs in northeastern and central Brazil (including Goiás, Mato Grosso, and the Distrito Federal), extending south into Bolivia and northern Argentina. It inhabits gallery forest, semi-open woodland, and urban gardens within the Cerrado biome.
The baeri form is slightly paler below and brighter green overall than the Amazonian subspecies. It is a frequent visitor to flowering Inga trees and garden feeders, moving actively between shaded blossoms and open perches.
Below is the Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata nigrofasciata)
Photographed in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
This individual belongs to the subspecies nigrofasciata, which occurs from eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela into northwestern Brazil, primarily in the Rio Negro basin around Manaus. It inhabits lowland rainforest, forest edge, and riverine woodland, often near clearings or secondary growth.
The nigrofasciata form is richly colored, with males showing a luminous violet breast contrasting with green upperparts and a dark blue tail. It forages in the understory and lower canopy, commonly along forest streams.
Below is the Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata jelskii)
Photographed at Waqanki / Quebrada Mishquiyaquillo, San Martín, Peru
This individual belongs to the subspecies jelskii, which occurs throughout eastern Peru and adjacent western Brazil, south of the Marañón River. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill forest, forest edge, and clearings between 300 and 1,200 meters, where it frequents flowering shrubs and canopy blossoms.
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