Lucifer Hummingbird

Lucifer Hummingbird
(Calothorax lucifer)
In Latin, lucifer means "light-bearing" and was applied in Old English to the morning star. Thus, when William Swainson named the Lucifer Hummingbird in 1827 he might have been thinking of the luminous glow of its colors. The male Lucifer's outer tail feathers are hard and narrow, and hum loudly during aerial displays. He performs a zigzagging dance to attract females and repel other males.

Physical Description
Average weight: male 2.75 g, female 3.08 g. Female birds are larger than males.

Plumage
Adult male: Metallic green back and crown, magenta gorget, white breast, buff sides, long decurved (downward-curving) bill.
Adult female: Green back and crown, white breast and throat, buff sides, white tips on outer tail feathers, decurved bill.

Habitat
Open arid country; desert vegetation, especially agaves.

Distribution
Observed in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Winters central Mexico.