The Coppery-headed Emerald (Elvira cupreiceps) is a type of hummingbird. It is endemic to Costa Rica.
| Coppery-headed Emerald Conservation status: Least concern |
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| Elvira cupreiceps (Lawrence, 1867) |
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Distribution and habitat
The coppery-headed emerald is found in the highlands of northern and central Costa Rica. In most of its range it is found on the Caribbean slope but in the far north is also found on the Pacific slope. It inhabits the edges and interior of moist to humid montane forest. In the forest interior males are often found in the canopy and females in the understory but both occur at all levels at the edges and in semi-open areas like clearings. In elevation it ranges from 300 to 1,500 m (980 to 4,900 ft) on the Caribbean slope but on the Pacific side is seldom found below about 1,200 m (3,900 ft).
Behavior
Movement
Following breeding the coppery-headed emerald moves to the lower parts of its elevational range.[7]
Feeding
The coppery-headed emerald forages for nectar at a wide variety of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees; examples include those of genera Besleria, Cavendishia, Clusia, Guarea, Pithecellobium, Quararibea, Satyria, and Inga. In addition to nectar, it gleans small arthropods from foliage and captures them by hawking from a perch.[8][7]
Breeding
The coppery-headed emerald’s breeding season extends from October to March and may vary within that window from year to year. Males court females at leks in small groups, singing from a perch and chasing other males. Females construct a small cup nest of plant down and tree fern scales bound with spiderweb with some moss and lichen on the outside. It is typically placed between 1 and 3 m (3 and 10 ft) above the ground in the understory or along an edge. The clutch size is two eggs; the incubation period and time to fledging are not known.[7]
Vocalization
The coppery-headed emerald’s song is a “high, thin, twittering and warbling.” Its call has been described as “a high, thin, liquid quip or quit or rapid high sputtering in chases.”[7]
Coppery-headed Emerald Hummingbird (Elivra cupreiceps)
Lives in Costa Rica
C0ppery-headed Emerald hummingbird from Costa Rica
Coppery-headed Emerald hummingbird
San Luis, San Ramon, Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America
