The Violet-crowned Hummingbird

A Violet-crowned Hummingbird is a fun bird to see while bird watching. Below are some tips to help you identify Violet-crowned Hummingbirds. We have also put together a list of fun Violet-crowned Hummingbird t-shirts, Violet-crowned Hummingbird bird patches, birdhouses, bird feeders, binoculars, stickers, and other fun bird-watching items.

About Violet-crowned Hummingbirds

The Violet-crowned Hummingbird is considered a medium-sized bird among other types of birds in the hummingbird species. They are native to North America, especially in the western regions of the continent. They are relatively new to the region and distributed through southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Their numbers are seemingly increasing in the region.

Description and Identification

Now a medium-sized bird, they were considered to be one of the larger hummingbirds until the late 1950s. They are named after their iridescent crowns or violet-colored caps. The backs and tails are olive green with white underparts. Males are lighter colored than females and are known to be the only species in America without colorful plumages near the neck. The bills of the males are red and black and are more vibrant than the females. Juveniles and females are similarly colored.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Color Pattern

It has a violet-colored cap which is a feature that distinguishes it from other birds in the same species. Adults are covered in a dark olive-green ranging from their upper parts to the tail while their underparts are predominantly white in color. The male’s bill is red and black towards the tip but the female’s less colorful.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Size

As a medium-sized bird in the family, it has an average length of 10cm and a wingspan ranging between 12-15cm. The bird weighs an average of 6g.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Behavior

Just like any other hummingbird, they hover while feeding on nectar from flowers. They follow a predetermined foraging route and catch insects mid-air. They also feed on insects that are stuck in between twigs and spider webs.

Their females are known for building nests in a protected locations such as in shrubs and in trees. The Violet-crowned Hummingbird may not be as territorial as other hummingbirds meaning that they are social to other conspecific species.

The females are in charge of nesting, incubating and feeding the young ones.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Food

These birds maintain a diet of insects and plant nectar. They have long extendable tongues
that allow them to collect nectar from flowers and sap from plants and trees. They also
practice hawking, which is snatching insect prey mid-air. Females regurgitate insect and
nectar mixture into the throats of their young, while males inhabit food-rich zones and defend
them from other males. In winters, they rely on tree sap apart from their otherwise
insectivore diet. These birds have the capacity to kill around two thousand insects a day.

They diet on insects and nectar from flowers. They will also feed on sugar-water mixture from hummingbird feeders in suburban locations.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Habitat

These birds reside in lower canyons, streamside areas, and in high riparian habitats. These
areas do not have an abundance of flowers. These hummingbirds prefer groves where the
trees are tall and the shrubs are large, with Sycamore groves being the most populated.
Sometimes they inhabit deciduous trees as well. Males build their nests in nutrition-dense
zones, especially near high-energy nectar-producing flowers. In the U.S, they inhabit
Sycamore and Cottonwood groves during the summers.

Birdwatchers can look for them in sycamore groves, streamsides, and canyons. In the limited location in the US, they can be found in groves of tall trees with brushy under branches.

Range and Migration

Violet Crowned Hummingbirds are typically a mountain species most commonly found in
parts of Mexico and some parts of the southern United States like Southeast Arizona. They are
rarely found outside their breeding range in Southernmost California to Texas. Being partially
migratory, they are spotted in the U.S only during the summers but are mostly permanent
residents of southwestern Mexico.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Life Cycle

The female Violet-crowned Hummingbird lays two eggs which it incubates for about 14 days before they hatch. The female feeds the young until they take their first flight. They have a lifespan of about 6 years.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Nesting

Violet Crowned Hummingbirds are polygamous and solitary. They have a series of calls and
a specific call in the pattern of twos. They sing this at dawn to alert each other of
possible mates in the area. Males mate with multiple females and separate immediately after
copulation, subsequently playing no role in the raising of the offspring. The females lay two
white eggs after mating with multiple males. The eggs are incubated by the female for a little
over two weeks, after which the nestlings are fed for another two weeks. The fledglings are
then, abandoned and at twenty days old, they leave their nests. Their nests are placed at a
height of around twenty feet above the ground on slender branches. The females are
responsible for choosing where to build the nest of straw, spider webs, plant fibers, and twigs. These plant fibers and spider webs provide an elastic material that stretches as the chicks begin to grow. Nests are camouflaged using plant material like moss.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Violet-crowned Hummingbirds

The most common types of bird-watching binoculars for viewing Violet-crowned Hummingbirds are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird T-shirts

If you love the Violet-crowned Hummingbird you should purchase a Bird Watching Academy & Camp T-shirt. To help support bird conservation we donate 10 percent to bird conservation activities.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The Violet-crowned Hummingbird is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders for Violet-crowned Hummingbirds

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses for Violet-crowned Hummingbirds

There are many types of birdhouses. Building a birdhouse is always fun but can be frustrating. These 4 birdhouses have become our favorites. Getting a birdhouse for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. We spent a little extra money on these birdhouses but they have been worth the higher price and look great.