The violet-chested hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Region
Northern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid montane and foothill forests, forest edges, and second growth of northern Venezuela and adjacent northern Colombia. It frequents cloud-forest zones with abundant epiphytes and flowering shrubs and often uses edges, clearings, and riparian corridors. The species readily visits gardens and roadside vegetation where tubular flowers are plentiful. It typically stays in shaded midstory and canopy layers but descends to lower vegetation when feeding.
Altitude Range
600–2100 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A striking member of the mountain-gem hummingbirds, the violet-chested hummingbird is known for the male’s shimmering violet breast that flashes in good light. It fiercely defends rich flower patches from other hummingbirds and insects. Females build small, well-camouflaged cup nests on horizontal branches. Though often in humid montane forests, it also visits gardens with abundant blooms.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering
Social Behavior
Generally solitary away from breeding; males vigorously defend flower resources from conspecifics and other hummingbirds. Courtship involves display flights and showing the iridescent chest. The female alone builds a small cup nest of plant fibers and spider silk, usually on a horizontal branch or fork in shaded forest.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin chips and short, buzzy trills delivered from perches between feeding bouts. Wing hum is prominent at close range. Calls become more frequent during territorial chases.
Plumage
Male with glittering emerald-green upperparts and a brilliant violet to blue-violet chest blending to grayish underparts; tail bronzy-green to dusky. Female greener above with grayish-white underparts lightly spotted or washed with green on the sides and lacking the male’s intense violet chest. Both sexes have straight, slender blackish bills and a small whitish spot behind the eye.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of tubular flowers, including shrubs, vines, and epiphytes. It supplements nectar with small arthropods captured by hawking or gleaning from foliage and spiderwebs. When defending rich flower patches, it spends long periods perched between intense feeding bouts.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest edges, clearings, and gaps within humid montane forest, as well as in gardens with abundant ornamental blooms. Often selects flowering plants along streams and in sunlit patches within otherwise shaded forest.
