A stunningly beautiful hummingbird I saw only at the Milpe Bird Sanctuary near Mindo was the crowned woodnymph. I don't know who came up with some of these hummingbird names, but this one could come right out of Lord of the Rings and a Bilbo Baggins adventure.
There are seven subspecies through a range from Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela up through Central America to southern Mexico. Hummingbird colors are tricky because they change so much with light. The males I saw had a head and breast that ranged from shiny forest green to an iridescent aqua. The underbody was a deep violet to shiny deep blue.
The female had an emerald green upperbody and crown, a white throat and chest, darker wings and some blue scattered on the wings, belly and back.
Absolutely gorgeous. Each feather is like a jewel.
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