Magnificent Hummingbird

Magnificent Hummingbird, adult male; Portal, AZ; July

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Magnificent Hummingbird, adult female; Ramsey Canyon, AZ August

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Aptly named for its spectacular plumage, the Magnificent Hummingbird is one of several hummingbird species found in southeast Arizona but not regularly elsewhere in the United States. The species was known as Rivoli's Hummingbird until the mid-1980s

Description

Small bird; large hummingbird. Adult male with iridescent purple crown, green throat, and black belly. Adult female with green upperparts, grayish underparts, and a white streak extending behind the eye.

• Size: 11-14 cm (4-6 in)
• Wingspan: 18 cm (7 in)
• Weight: 7-8 g (0.25-0.28 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male bears bold contrasting colors, with iridescent purple crown, green throat, and black belly. Female is duller overall, green above and gray below.

Sound

Calls include repeated chips and chatter. Male also makes a soft song of scratchy notes during the breeding season.

Conservation Status

No immediate conservation concern. Habitat destruction may be a problem in Mexico and Central America, but specific effects have not been documented.

Other Names

Colibri de Rivoli (French)
Colibrí magnifico, Chupaflor magnifico, Chupamirto verde montero (Spanish)
Rivoli's Hummingbird (English)

Cool Facts

• The Magnificent Hummingbird is the second-largest hummingbird north of Mexico. Only the Blue-throated Hummingbird is larger.

Sources used to construct this page:

Powers, D. R. 1996. Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens). In The Birds of North America, No. 221 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C.