Mangrove Hummingbird

Costa Rica

Jul 17

Mangrove Hummingbird (Amazilia boucardi)

Name Origin:
The genus Amazilia is derived from a fictional Incan heroine featured in an 18th-century French poem. The species name boucardi honors Adolphe Boucard, a French naturalist and collector active in Central America.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 9–10 cm
⚖️ Weight: 4.5–5.5 g
🌎 Range: Pacific coast of Costa Rica
🧭 Elevation: Sea level to 20 m
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Mangrove forest and adjacent coastal scrub
🧬 Clade: Trochilini (a.k.a. “emeralds”)
📊 Status: Endangered (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Monotypic — no subspecies recognized.

Species Overview

The Mangrove Hummingbird is a coastal specialist endemic to the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica. It is one of the few hummingbirds restricted entirely to mangrove ecosystems. Males are bright green with a glittering blue throat and slightly forked tail. It is generally shy and stays low among mangrove roots and flowering shrubs near brackish water. Its distribution is patchy and highly localized due to its dependence on intact mangrove forest.

Male Description:
Shiny green upperparts, vibrant bluish-violet throat (gorget), and a dull greenish breast and belly. The bill is straight and black with a red base on the lower mandible.

Female Description:
Similar to the male but with a duller throat and more whitish-gray underparts. Less iridescence overall and a shorter tail.

Habitat & Behavior:
Exclusively inhabits mangrove forests, especially those dominated by Rhizophora species. Forages at low to mid-level flowers and catches insects by sallying from hidden perches. Breeding appears to occur in the dry season, and nests are typically placed on low branches near water. The species is generally solitary and non-territorial outside the breeding period.

Conservation Note:
The Mangrove Hummingbird is classified as Endangered due to habitat loss from coastal development, aquaculture, and pollution. Its population is small and fragmented, limited to a few mangrove patches along the central and southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Long-term survival depends on strict protection and restoration of remaining mangrove ecosystems.