Rivoli Hummingbird

Toward the end of May I spent three days in southeastern Arizona on a birding trip. That area is a birding hotspot and I encountered lots of hummingbird feeders. One of the birds I came to love was the Rivoli hummingbird. I first encountered it at the hummingbird feeders at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains. For quite a while I was watching it without realizing what it was. 

This is what it looked like at the feeders. This photo has not been cropped or worked on in Lightroom. A very black head with spider man eyes and long black sword bill. I was looking for a hummingbird with a purple crown and green throat. 

This may or may not be the same photo, but it is cropped and lightened in Lightroom. A pretty amazing change. 

Then get it in better light and watch out - it is eye poppingly gorgeous. 

The adult male is bronze-green on the back and the head is black apart from a white spot behind the eye. The chest is bronze green and the belly is grayish. The female is bronze-green on the back, a dull gray in front and a white stripe behind the eye. 

The female is not as beautiful, but is very striking. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World.

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World. Note that it only has a small range in the U.S., in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is also found in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. 

This is a favorite.