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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Nightjars, Swifts, Hummingbirds, and Allies (Order Caprimulgiformes)

-Hummingbirds (Family Trochilidae)

-Genus Amazilia

-Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila)


The Cinnamon Hummingbird is primarily a bird of Mexico and Central America. Cinnamon Hummingbirds are typically found in semi-open country and around woodland and forest edges, most often around deciduous or semi-deciduous forests. The upperparts are metallic bronze green while the underparts cinnamon, paler on the chin and upper throat, the wings are dark. Bill is red with a black tip. They feed heavily on nectar, and insects can also comprise a large portion of the diet.They are bold and aggressive in defending nesting and feeding territories, often chasing away larger hummingbirds and other birds.

Cinnamon Hummingbird

Amazilia rutila

Diet

  • Primarily nectar from flowering trees, shrubs, vines, and ornamental plants.

  • Supplements its diet with small insects and spiders for protein, especially during the breeding season.

  • Frequently visits hummingbird feeders containing sugar water.

Range

  • Found along the Pacific slope of Mexico from southern Sonora and southwestern Chihuahua south through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.

  • Its range continues south through Central America to northwestern Costa Rica.

  • Common in tropical dry forests, forest edges, thorn scrub, mangroves, gardens, and coastal habitats.

  • A year-round resident throughout its range, including the Zihuatanejo area.

Male / Female

  • Male: Rich cinnamon underparts, iridescent bronze-green upperparts, bright rufous tail, and a slightly brighter, more metallic green crown and back.

  • Female: Very similar to the male but generally duller overall, with less iridescent green on the upperparts and slightly paler cinnamon underparts.

  • Sexes are difficult to distinguish in the field and are most reliably separated by subtle differences in plumage brightness and, during the breeding season, by behaviour.

Size

  • Length: 9–10 cm (3.5–4.0 in)

  • Weight: 4–6 g

  • Wingspan: Approximately 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in)

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