The olive-spotted hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Region
Western Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs locally along major white-water rivers in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It favors newly formed river islands, sandy banks, and shrubby floodplain edges with fast-growing pioneer plants. Typical vegetation includes dense stands of willows, Tessaria, and other early successional shrubs. It is uncommon away from river corridors and rarely penetrates mature terra firme forest. Seasonal water level changes influence local presence as habitats appear and disappear.
Altitude Range
0–500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A river-island specialist of the western Amazon, the olive-spotted hummingbird thrives in early successional scrub on sandy river bars and young floodplain islands. It often follows shifting channels, recolonizing new islands as vegetation matures. The species feeds on nectar but supplements its diet with tiny insects for protein. Its reliance on dynamic river habitats makes it sensitive to major river regulation or shoreline alteration.
Temperament
energetic and moderately territorial
Flight Pattern
rapid direct flight with agile hovering
Social Behavior
Typically solitary at flowers but may aggregate loosely where blooms are concentrated. Males defend small feeding territories. The female alone builds a tiny cup nest of plant down and spider silk placed low in scrub. Breeding is timed to periods when river-island vegetation is flowering.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are thin, high-pitched chips and short ticking series delivered from exposed perches. Wing hum is audible at close range, especially during aggressive chases.
Plumage
Glossy green upperparts with whitish underparts marked by olive spotting and streaking on the sides and flanks; tail greenish to bronzy with slightly darker tips.
Diet
Primarily nectar from a variety of river-edge shrubs and herbs, probing repeatedly along flowering stands. Also hawks small insects mid-air and gleans tiny arthropods from foliage to obtain protein. Feeds methodically along flowering patches and returns to productive plants it defends.
Preferred Environment
Shrubby growth on river islands, sandy bars, and floodplain edges with abundant pioneer blossoms. Frequently uses sheltered leeward sides of islands where flowers are dense.
