AnimaliaIUCN LCIn Progress Recent Sighting
Eupherusa eximia
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
(De Lattre & Bourcier, 1846)
Detailed Texts Multi-lang
The Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia) is a medium-sized bird with an unmistakable chromatic design. The adult male sports an overall plumage of emerald green with a strong metallic sheen. However, its two most diagnostic features are best seen when it spreads its wings and tail: it possesses large patches of rufous (reddish-chestnut) on the secondary wing feathers that flash vibrantly in mid-flight, and a dark tail whose lateral feathers have thick white edges, giving it the 'striped' or zebra-like appearance that gives it its name. Its bill is straight, entirely black, and of moderate length. Females are similar in the wings and tail, but their underparts are a light grayish tone mottled with green on the flanks.
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Taxonomy
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderApodiformes
FamilyTrochilidae
GenusEupherusa
Taxonomic Authority(De Lattre & Bourcier, 1846)
Ecology & Status
Origin
Native
Population Trend
Stable
Breeding Season
Dry Season
Trophic Role
Herbivore
Recent Sightings
Yes
Habitat Summary Multi-lang
It is a typical species of middle elevations (premontane and lower montane forests). It prefers cloud forest edges, clearings with flowering shrubs, shaded borders, and dense secondary growth. It generally moves in the understory or the middle strata of the vegetation, where moisture and mist abound. In Costa Rica, it is very common between 300 and 1,500 meters above sea level, inhabiting mainly the Caribbean slope and the main mountain ranges (Tilarán, Central, and Talamanca).Behaviour Multi-lang
It is a bird of frenetic activity and moderate to high territoriality. Unlike hermit hummingbirds, the stripe-tailed hummingbird usually settles in dense flower patches which it defends vocally and physically from other males and species. When feeling threatened or excited, it fans out its tail, showing the contrasting pattern of black and white stripes, while whispering a high, metallic song.Social Activity Multi-lang
Generally solitary and aggressive towards other hummingbirds that enter their feeding territory. They do not form flocks, and pair bonds last only the time necessary for copulation.Feeding Guild Multi-lang
Nectarivore / Mid-story territorial forager.Trophic Chain Details Multi-lang
Primary consumer (Nectarivore). Its main diet consists of nectar from tubular flowers, frequenting plants of the genera Inga, Besleria, and Salvia, as well as multiple epiphytes and bromeliads in the mid-canopy. It supplements its diet by catching small dipterans and wasps in mid-air (hawking) to obtain proteins. It is occasionally preyed upon by small mountain owls, arboreal tarantulas, and bush snakes.Reproductive Behaviour Multi-lang
As in most trochilids, the female performs all the reproductive work alone. She builds a compact cup-shaped nest using moss, tree fern scales, and fine spider webs, commonly located at a height of between 1.5 and 4 meters on shrubs at the forest edge. She lays 2 small white eggs. Incubation takes about 15 to 16 days. The female feeds the altricial chicks by regurgitating predigested nectar and insects, until they leave the nest about three weeks later.Physical Measures
Length (cm)
9.0 - 10.0 cm
Weight (Grams)
4 g - 4.5 g
Offspring per cycle2 - 2
Sexual DimorphismYes
Lifespan
Sexual Maturity
10 - 12 Months
Gestation / Incubation
15 - 16
Lifespan Estimated
Males3 - 5 Years
Females3 - 5 Years
Sexual Dimorphism
Males Multi-lang
The male features completely glowing emerald green underparts.
Females Multi-lang
Females lack the bright green chest; instead, their underparts are white or pale grayish, heavily mottled with green along the flanks.
Evolutionary Adaptations Multi-lang
Flight Signals (Rufous Flashes): The notable rufous patches on its wings are no accident; they act as powerful visual signals in the gloom of the cloud forest. In flight, the repetitive flashing of this warm color serves both to demarcate its territory against rival males and for courtship.
Montane Morphology (Stabilizing Tail): Its strongly graduated and broad tail provides exceptional stability to perform prolonged hovering flights in front of hanging flowers that are mechanically complex to access and common in montane forests, balancing skillfully despite the constant mountain wind.
Main Threats Multi-lang
Climate Change (Forced Altitudinal Migration): As a species dependent on humid montane ecosystems, global warming is raising the baseline of cloud forests, pushing the species to increasingly higher altitudes and reducing the total size of its available habitat.
Habitat Loss due to Agriculture: The deforestation of mountain slopes for planting coffee, cattle pastures, and other agricultural crops disconnects the biological corridors necessary for genetic exchange.
Interesting Facts Multi-lang
Mist Bathers: Taking advantage of their cloud forest environment, these birds often bathe by brushing against large leaves (like those of banana or heliconia plants) that are soaked by mist or morning dew, fluttering over them without needing to submerge in puddles.
Taxonomic Confusion: For many years, some of its subspecies were confused with completely distinct species due to variations in the extent of the rufous color on their wings and the amount of white on their tail depending on the altitude at which they lived.