Garnet-throated Hummingbird

Guatemala

Jul 17

Garnet-throated Hummingbird (Lamprolaima rhami)

Name Origin:
The genus name Lamprolaima derives from Greek lampros (“bright” or “shining”) and laimos (“throat”), referring to the species’ dazzling iridescent gorget. The species name rhami honors Dr. Rham, a 19th-century naturalist associated with early collections from Mexico.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in)
⚖️ Weight: 6.5–7.5 g (0.23–0.26 oz)
🌎 Range: Highlands of southern Mexico to Honduras
🧭 Elevation: 1,200–3,000 m (3,900–9,800 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest, cloud forest, and pine-oak forest
🧬 Clade: Heliantheini “Brilliants” (highland Andean and Central American hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Monotypic species — no recognized subspecies.

Distribution: Found from the highlands of southern Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas) through Guatemala and El Salvador, reaching into western Honduras. It inhabits humid montane forests and cloud forests, often along ridges, ravines, and mossy forest edges between 1,200 and 3,000 meters elevation.

Species Overview

The Garnet-throated Hummingbird is among the most resplendent of Central America’s highland species, displaying a fiery garnet-red throat that glows like a gemstone in sunlight. Typically solitary and territorial, it frequents the mid-canopy and edges of cool, humid forests. Its slow, deliberate flight and tendency to perch prominently distinguish it from smaller, faster emeralds.

Male Description:
The male has metallic green upperparts, a deep ruby-red to orange-garnet throat and chest, and a blue-violet belly that darkens toward the tail. The crown and nape shine bronze-green, and the tail is dark with a blue sheen. The throat color varies subtly with light angle, ranging from fiery copper to blood-red.

Female Description:
The female is bronzy-green above and grayish below, with a faintly rufous-washed chest and flanks. She lacks the intense throat coloration of the male but retains an elegant metallic green gloss on the back and crown.

Habitat & Behavior:
Prefers humid montane forest, cloud forest, and pine-oak woodland, often near flowering shrubs and trees such as Fuchsia, Rondeletia, and Palicourea. The Garnet-throated Hummingbird feeds by hovering and perching, defending territories with short aerial chases. Males often display from exposed branches, flaring their throat to flash iridescence in sunlight.

Conservation Note:
The Garnet-throated Hummingbird is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN but is locally uncommon and potentially declining due to deforestation and forest fragmentation in the montane regions of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The species occurs in several protected areas, including El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve (Mexico) and Montaña de Celaque National Park (Honduras). Maintaining cloud forest corridors across the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Guatemalan highlands will be essential for long-term population stability.