Green-tailed Goldenthroat
Scientific name: Polytmus theresiae
The Green-tailed Goldenthroat is a small hummingbird of open and semi‑open lowland habitats, including sandy savannas, river edges, and shrubby white‑sand forest mosaics across parts of northern and western Amazonia. The total number of mature individuals is unknown, the global population trend is decreasing, it is considered non‑migratory, and it is currently assessed as Least Concern.
At a Glance
Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)
Clade: Polytminae – Mangoes
Genus: Polytmus — 3 species in total
Range: Eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, the Guianas, northern and western Brazil, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia
Habitat: Open and semi‑open lowland habitats including sandy savannas with bushes, lowland forest edges, riverbanks, and shrubby white‑sand forest mosaics
Elevation: Mostly lowlands, typically from near sea level to about 300 m
Length: About 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in)
Weight: About 3–4 g (0.11–0.14 oz)
Number of mature individuals: Unknown
Population trend: Decreasing
Movement: Not a Migrant
IUCN Red List category: Least Concern
Name Origin
The name “Green-tailed Goldenthroat” refers to the combination of a golden‑colored throat and a green tail, a distinctive color pairing within its open‑country habitats. The genus name Polytmus is an older hummingbird genus applied to the goldenthroats, which are characterized by bright metallic throats and open‑country habits. The species name theresiae honors a person named Thérèse (or Theresa), commemorated in the original description.
Taxonomy & Distribution
Polytmus theresiae belongs to the mango subfamily Polytminae within the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is one of three species in the genus Polytmus, alongside White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi) and Tepui Goldenthroat (Polytmus milleri). The Green-tailed Goldenthroat occurs in a broad but patchy band across northern and western Amazonia, from the Guianas and northeastern Brazil west through eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela to eastern Peru and northern Bolivia, mainly at low elevations in open or semi‑open habitats.
Subspecies and Distribution
Two subspecies:
Polytmus theresiae theresiae
Distribution: The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana) and northeastern Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, and Amapá), occupying open savannas and lowland forest edges with sandy soils.Polytmus theresiae leucorrhous
Distribution: Eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, the upper Negro River basin of Brazil, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia, generally favoring shrubby white‑sand forest mosaics.
Legend
Green Resident
Species Overview
The Green-tailed Goldenthroat is a slender, long‑billed hummingbird of lowland savannas and open forest edges, often associated with sandy or white‑sand substrates that support specialized shrub and forest mosaics. It is typically encountered in small numbers, moving between flowering shrubs and trees in open, sunlit areas near forest edges, riverbanks, and seasonally flooded clearings. Within these habitats it can be locally fairly common but remains patchily distributed across its wide Amazonian range.
Male Description
Adult males have metallic green upperparts, including crown, back, and rump, with the tail a similar green that can show bronzy tones in strong light. The throat is bright golden‑green to golden‑yellow, forming the “golden throat” that gives the species group its English name. The breast and belly are paler greenish or grayish, sometimes with a slight buffy wash, and the undertail coverts may be whitish or pale. The bill is long, straight to slightly decurved, and dark, often blackish. In flight the combination of golden throat, green upperparts, and green tail helps distinguish the species among lowland savanna hummingbirds.
Female Description
Females resemble males but are generally duller, with a less intensely colored golden throat and more grayish or whitish underparts. The throat often shows green or golden spotting on a pale ground rather than a solid golden patch. The tail is green with somewhat paler or whitish edging on the outer feathers, visible when fanned. Juveniles resemble females, with reduced throat coloration and more mottled underparts; young males gradually develop the brighter golden throat and cleaner green tail as they mature.
Habitat & Behavior
Green-tailed Goldenthroats inhabit open and semi‑open lowland environments, particularly sandy savannas with scattered bushes, open campina‑like vegetation, lowland forest edges, and riverbanks with shrubby growth. They are especially associated with white‑sand forest mosaics where patches of scrub, low trees, and open sandy areas alternate, providing abundant sun‑exposed flowers. Birds typically forage at low to mid‑levels, visiting tubular flowers of shrubs and small trees, and sometimes flowering herbs in open ground.
They feed primarily on nectar, hovering at blossoms or perching to reach flowers, and they also take small insects and spiders for protein. Individuals often move along linear features such as forest edges, rivers, and sandy tracks, pausing at conspicuous perches to scan and then darting to nearby flowers. Territorial behavior may occur around rich nectar sources, but birds also range widely through suitable open habitats, especially in more sparsely vegetated savannas.
Breeding
Breeding timing varies regionally across the species’ broad Amazonian range but generally corresponds with periods of high flower availability and favorable weather, often in the local dry or early wet seasons. The female builds a small cup nest from plant fibers and down bound with spiderweb, typically camouflaged on the outside with bits of lichen, bark, or leaf. Nests are usually placed on thin horizontal branches or forks in shrubs or small trees within open or edge habitats, a few meters above the ground.
The clutch consists of two white eggs. The female alone incubates and raises the young, as is typical for hummingbirds. Incubation lasts around two weeks, and chicks fledge roughly three weeks after hatching, though exact durations can vary with local climate and food supply. Because the species uses exposed, sunlit habitats, nest placement often takes advantage of partial shade or foliage cover to mitigate heat and rain.
Movement
The Green-tailed Goldenthroat is considered non‑migratory and is treated as a resident across its range. It does not undertake large‑scale, long‑distance migrations, but local movements are likely as birds track flowering shrubs and trees across savannas, white‑sand forests, and river edges. These movements may involve shifts between slightly different parts of the lowland landscape, for example between more open sandy savannas and shrubbier white‑sand forest patches as seasons and water levels change.
Population
The total number of mature individuals is unknown, but the species has a wide though patchy distribution in northern and western Amazonia. It is typically described as uncommon to locally fairly common, depending on local habitat extent and quality, particularly the availability of sandy savannas and white‑sand forest mosaics. Ongoing habitat loss or alteration in these specialized habitats, including conversion to agriculture, infrastructure expansion, and changes in fire regimes, likely contribute to the overall decreasing population trend.
Conservation
The Green-tailed Goldenthroat is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its broad distribution and presence in multiple countries, but its decreasing trend and reliance on specialized lowland habitats warrant attention. Loss and fragmentation of savannas, white‑sand forests, and river‑edge shrublands through land conversion, fire, and hydrological changes can reduce suitable habitat and isolate local populations. The species occurs in a number of protected areas across its range, where savannas and white‑sand forest mosaics are maintained, but continued conservation of these unique lowland ecosystems is important for its long‑term persistence.
Below is the Green-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus theresiae theresiae)
Photographed at Manaus, Bonfim (Roraima), Iranduba, and Presidente Figueiredo, all within the states of Amazonas and Roraima, Brazil.
These individuals belong to the subspecies theresiae, which occurs throughout northeastern Amazonia, including the Guianas and northern Brazil, particularly along the lower Negro and Madeira River basins. It inhabits sandy-soil savannas and forest edges at low elevations, typically below 400 meters.
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Related species in the Polytmus genus (3 species in total):
Please note: The content provided in this article reflects Anthony’s personal experience and photographic approach. Results can vary depending on light, weather, location, equipment, subject behavior, and field conditions.