The racket-tipped thorntail, formerly called racket-tailed coquette, is a species of hummingbird in subfamily lesbiinae of family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern South America
Typical Environment
Primarily found in the Guianas and neighboring northern Brazil, with populations extending into eastern Colombia and Venezuela. It favors lowland tropical rainforest edges, riparian corridors, second-growth, and semi-open woodland with abundant flowering plants. The species often visits gardens and plantations where ornamental or native nectar sources are available. It generally keeps to the lower to mid-canopy but will descend to feed at flowering shrubs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also known historically as the racket-tailed coquette, this tiny hummingbird is named for the male’s extraordinary outer tail feathers that end in flat, spatulate “rackets.” Males perform aerial displays that accentuate these ornaments, while females lack the rackets and have a shorter, more typical tail. It occurs across the Guianas and adjacent northern Amazonia, frequenting flower-rich edges and clearings. Like many hummingbirds, it supplements nectar with small insects for protein.
Two males (center and bottom) and a female (top) illustrated in John Gould's A monograph of the Trochilidae
Temperament
active and agile
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with hovering and darting
Social Behavior
Usually solitary at flowers but may aggregate loosely at rich nectar sources. Males display with rapid chases and hovering to showcase the tail rackets. The species builds a tiny cup nest on a slender horizontal branch; the female alone incubates and rears the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin chips and rapid twitters, given during feeding and display. The wing hum is prominent at close range, and males may add a faint mechanical sound during display flights.
Plumage
Iridescent green upperparts with a metallic sheen; underparts variably whitish to green-washed. Male has extremely elongated outer tail feathers ending in broad, spatulate tips; female lacks rackets and has a shorter, slightly notched tail. Both sexes show a slender, straight bill and compact, glittering plumage typical of small hummingbirds.
Diet
Feeds mainly on nectar from a variety of flowering trees, shrubs, and epiphytes, probing with its slender bill. It also takes small arthropods for protein, hawking them in short sallies or gleaning from foliage. Feeding is opportunistic, tracking seasonal blooms and favored plant species.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest edges, clearings, riverbanks, and in second-growth where flowers are abundant. Frequently visits gardens and plantations with ornamental or native nectar plants.
