White-tailed Goldenthroat
White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi)
Name Origin:
The genus Polytmus derives from Greek polytimos, meaning “very precious,” referencing the hummingbird’s vivid beauty. The species name guainumbi is derived from a native Tupi word used in Brazil to describe small hummingbirds.
Quick Facts
Length: 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in)
⚖️ Weight: ~3.5–4.5 g (0.12–0.16 oz)
🌎 Range: Northeastern South America including Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas, Brazil, and parts of Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru
🛍️ Elevation: Sea level up to 1,000 m (3,280 ft)
🌺 Diet: Primarily nectar, also small arthropods
🏡 Habitat: Open and semi-open areas such as savannas, forest edges, mangroves, and shrubland
🧬 Clade: Polytminae “Mangoes”
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Three subspecies:
Polytmus guainumbi andinus
Distribution: Eastern Colombia (south to Meta and Vichada).Polytmus guainumbi guainumbi
Distribution: Venezuela and Trinidad east through the Guianas and into northern Brazil (Amapá coast).Polytmus guainumbi thaumantias
Distribution: Southeastern Peru, Bolivia, and central to eastern Brazil (south from Maranhão and Bahia to Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, and northern Paraná), extending into eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
Species Overview
The White-tailed Goldenthroat is a luminous hummingbird found in lowland regions across northern and central South America. True to its name, it displays a glittering golden-green throat and a white-tipped tail that flashes in flight. It frequents open and semi-open areas, often feeding at low heights and readily perching in view.
Male Description:
Males are metallic green above with a glittering golden-green throat and upper breast. The underparts are pale grayish to whitish, contrasting with dark tail feathers edged and tipped in white. The straight, medium-length bill is black.
Female Description:
Females are similar but with less intense throat coloration and paler grayish underparts. Their overall appearance is more subdued, and the bill shows a pale base to the mandible.
Habitat & Behavior:
The species favors open country, including savanna, scrub, mangrove edges, and abandoned pastures. It forages low, visiting flowering herbs, shrubs, and small trees. Males often perch prominently and chase intruders from nectar sources. They are also known to supplement their diet with tiny insects caught in flight.
Conservation Note:
The White-tailed Goldenthroat remains widespread and stable across its range. It readily uses disturbed and open habitats, allowing it to persist even as deforestation progresses in parts of its range. No major threats are currently recognized.
Below is a juvenile male of the White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi guainumbi)
Photographed at:
Kernaham, Rio Claro-Mayaro, Trinidad and Tobago
These individuals belong to the subspecies guainumbi, found in Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas, and coastal northern Brazil. This population occupies open and semi-open lowland areas, including savanna, coastal scrub, and mangrove edges. Males are known for their glowing green throats and strong contrast between dark tail feathers and white terminal tips. They are agile and persistent nectar feeders, often seen visiting flowering shrubs at low heights.
