Snowcap Hummingbird

Costa Rica

Jul 17

Snowcap (Microchera albocoronata)

Name Origin:
The genus Microchera combines Greek mikros meaning “small” and kheras meaning “horn” or “crest,” referencing the diminutive size and distinctive crown. The species name albocoronata is from Latin albus meaning “white” and coronatus meaning “crowned,” describing the male’s bright white crown.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: 6.5–7 cm (2.6–2.8 in)
⚖️ Weight: ~2.3–2.6 g (0.08–0.09 oz)
🌎 Range: Southern Honduras to central Panama
🧭 Elevation: 300–1,100 m (980–3,600 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid lowland and foothill forest, edges, and clearings with flowering plants
🧬 Clade: Trochilini (“Emeralds”)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Two subspecies:

Microchera albocoronata parvirostris
Distribution: Caribbean slope of southern Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and possibly extreme western Panama.
Microchera albocoronata albocoronata
Distribution: West-central Panama (Veraguas, Coclé), mainly on the Caribbean slope.

Species Overview

The Snowcap is one of the most unmistakable hummingbirds in Central America due to its compact size and striking coloration. Males are especially eye-catching, with a glowing white cap contrasting against dark burgundy plumage. Females are green with pale gray underparts. This species is typically found flitting low through forest clearings and flowering thickets.

Male Description:
Dark wine-colored body, brilliant white crown, short black bill, and a dark tail. Small and fast, often appears as a blur zipping through flower-laden clearings.

Female Description:
Green upperparts, whitish underparts, and a small white post-ocular spot. Lacks the male’s white crown and dark coloration.

Habitat & Behavior:
Occurs in humid lowland and foothill forests, especially at forest edges, along roadsides, and in gardens. Prefers flowering plants like Verbena, Psychotria, and Stachytarpheta. Males are territorial and aggressive for their size, often chasing away larger hummingbirds. Their flight is direct and rapid, often low to the ground.

Conservation Note:
The Snowcap is listed as Least Concern, though it has a relatively limited range and is patchily distributed. It can tolerate disturbed habitats and is often found in regenerating forests or near human habitation where flowering shrubs are available. Continued forest clearance could impact local populations, but the species is not currently at risk.

Below is the Snowcap (Microchera albocoronata parvirostris)

Photographed at Rancho Naturalista, Cartago, and Nectar & Pollen Reserve, Limón, Costa Rica

These individuals belong to the subspecies parvirostris, which occurs along the Caribbean slope from southern Honduras through Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with possible range extension into extreme western Panama. It inhabits humid foothill forest edges and clearings with abundant flowering plants, usually between 300 and 1,100 meters. This subspecies is similar in appearance to the nominate form, but slightly smaller and with a proportionally shorter bill.