Green-fronted Lancebill
Green-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera ludovicae)
Name Origin:
The genus Doryfera is derived from Greek dory meaning “spear” and pherein meaning “to bear,” referring to its long, spear-like bill. The species epithet ludovicae honors Princess Louise of Prussia, patron of early natural history expeditions in the Neotropics.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 6.0–7.5 g (0.21–0.26 oz)
🌎 Range: Costa Rica to western Panama and the Andes of Venezuela south to Bolivia
🧭 Elevation: 600–2,400 m (2,000–7,900 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest along streams and waterfalls
🧬 Clade: Lesbiini “Coquettes and Lancebills”
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Two subspecies:
1. Doryfera ludovicae veraguensis
Distribution: North-central Costa Rica to western Panama (Veraguas), occupying humid forested mountain slopes and stream corridors.
2. Doryfera ludovicae ludovicae
Distribution: Extreme eastern Panama (Cerro Tacarcuna) and the Andes from western Venezuela and Colombia south to northwestern Bolivia, occurring mainly on the eastern Andean slope south from central Ecuador.
Species Overview
The Green-fronted Lancebill is a specialized highland hummingbird of fast-flowing streams and waterfalls. Its long, straight bill and short wings are adaptations for feeding from flowers in steep, shaded ravines. Males and females share similar plumage, featuring a brilliant emerald-green forehead and metallic bronze upperparts. This species is often seen hovering low over water, feeding on flowers clinging to mossy rocks or overhanging vegetation.
Male Description:
The male has bronze-green upperparts, a shining emerald-green forehead and crown, and dusky grayish underparts with a slight olive wash. The tail is dark bronze and slightly notched, and the bill is long, straight, and black.
Female Description:
The female resembles the male but is paler below, with more grayish underparts and a slightly shorter bill.
Habitat & Behavior:
Inhabits humid montane and foothill forests, usually along rocky streams and waterfalls. Forages on nectar from flowers of Besleria, Drymonia, and Columnea that grow on mossy banks and cliffs. It also takes small insects captured in flight or picked from rock faces. Often seen perching low on shaded branches near the water. Territorial behavior is moderate, with individuals maintaining short feeding circuits along stream corridors.
Conservation Note:
The Green-fronted Lancebill is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains widespread but local. It depends on pristine montane stream habitats, which are threatened by deforestation, hydroelectric development, and climate-driven watercourse shifts. Stable populations persist in protected areas such as Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica), La Amistad International Park (Costa Rica–Panama), Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador), and Carrasco National Park (Bolivia). Continued protection of montane riverine forest is essential for the species’ long-term survival.
Below is the Green-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera ludovicae veraguensis)
Photographed at Reserva Ecológica Río Blanco, Caldas; RN Retorno del Colibrí, Tolima; and Owlet Lodge, Amazonas, Peru
These individuals belong to the subspecies veraguensis, which ranges from eastern Panama south through Colombia, Ecuador, and into Peru. It inhabits humid montane forest, particularly along fast-flowing streams, between 1,000 and 2,400 meters.
Below is the Green-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera ludovicae ludovicae)
Photographed at Hotel Quelitales, Cartago, Costa Rica
This individual belongs to the subspecies ludovicae, found in the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama, typically along forested mountain streams between 900 and 2,000 meters.