The wine-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Region
Mesoamerican Highlands
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Mexico (Chiapas) through Guatemala and Honduras to western El Salvador. It favors edges and clearings of montane pine–oak and cloud forests, as well as shrubby second growth and flowering hedgerows. The species readily uses human-modified habitats like shade coffee plantations when native flowers are present. It often works along ridgelines, ravines, and stream borders where tubular flowers are concentrated.
Altitude Range
1000–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny highland hummingbird, the male is named for its striking wine-purple throat that flashes in good light. It frequents pine–oak and cloud forest edges where flowering shrubs are abundant, and males defend rich nectar patches aggressively. Outside peak flowering, it may shift locally up or down slope to track blooms. Like many hummingbirds, females alone build the minute cup nest from plant down bound with spider silk.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering and darting
Social Behavior
Typically solitary away from flowering hotspots, with males vigorously defending nectar-rich patches. Courtship involves rapid chases and display flights; no long-term pair bond is formed. The tiny cup nest is placed on a horizontal branch or in a fork, built of plant fibers and spider silk; the female incubates and raises the brood alone.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin chips and buzzy trills given during feeding and territorial encounters. Males add rapid twittering sequences in display flights, often interspersed with wing buzzes.
