Rivoli’s Hummingbirds were formerly known as “Magnificent Hummingbirds” but when the two subspecies were separated, ornithologists reverted to the name Rivoli’s Hummingbirds for the species that inhabit the US and Nicaragua.
Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are large hummingbirds with more striking coloring than most hummingbirds. Male Rivoli’s Hummingbirds have an iridescent purple crown, a black head with a white dot behind the eye, and an iridescent emerald-green or blue-green throat. Their backs are metallic dark green and their bellies are black.
Female Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are green on their crowns, backs, and wings. Instead of a white dot, they have a white streak behind the eye. Their breasts and bellies are grayish-white underneath.
- Eugenes fulgens
- Length: 4.3 – 5.5 in (11 – 14 cm)
- Weight: 0.21-0.35 oz (6 – 10 g)
- Wingspan: 7.1 in (18 cm)
Range
Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are resident in Mexico and Central America, but some do migrate north into southern Arizona and New Mexico, and southwestern Texas.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Rivoli’s Hummingbirds in pine-oak forests in mountainous regions but will visit feeders in their range. They will almost always move to places where flowers are abundant so they may stay at high altitudes and descend to lower elevations depending on where the flowers are.
Nectar is the prime diet of Rivoli’s Hummingbirds and they use the “traplining” method to move quickly and regularly between blooming flowers. They also feed on small insects which they capture in mid-air or by gleaning from vegetation.
Rivoli’s Hummingbird Call:
Nests
Nests of Rivoli’s Hummingbirds are built by the females who place the nests around twenty feet above the ground on a horizontal branch of a tree. Usually, this branch extends over a stream.
She uses feathers, moss, lichen, and spiderwebs to create a small cup. She lays two eggs that she incubates for around fifteen to nineteen days.
Attract
Attract Rivoli’s Hummingbirds to your backyard by having patches of flowering plants, particularly those with long and narrow flowers.
Fun Fact:
Rivoli’s Hummingbirds normally coexist in peace with other hummingbirds but may aggressively defend feeding territories, especially with plants that produce more nectar.
