Blue-throated Goldentail

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Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Hylocharis eliciae
  • Spanish Name: Zafiro Gorgiazul
  • Family: Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Elicia's Woodnymph, Blue-throated Woodnymph
  • Average Length: 8–10 cm / 3.1–3.9 in
  • Average Weight: 3.5–5 g / 0.12–0.18 oz
  • Wingspan: 11–13 cm / 4.3–5.1 in
  • Key Feature: Iridescent blue throat and golden-green tail
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (primarily nectar, also small insects)
  • Range: Central America from southern Mexico to western Panama
  • Habitat: Humid lowland forests, forest edges, and coffee plantations
  • Social Structure: Solitary except during courtship
  • Nesting/Breeding: Small cup-shaped nest on a horizontal tree branch
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The Blue-throated Goldentail (*Hylocharis eliciae*) is a dazzling hummingbird found in humid forests and coffee plantations from southern Mexico to Costa Rica. Its most striking feature is the male's brilliant, iridescent blue throat patch that gleams like polished sapphire, contrasting sharply with its rich, golden-green body and a coppery-bronze tail that flashes in the sunlight. Uniquely, both sexes possess a straight, medium-length black bill and a distinctive white postocular stripe behind the eye. Females are slightly duller, lacking the vibrant blue throat, but share the shimmering green upperparts and pale gray underparts. This species is notable for its specialized, slightly curved bill tip, which it uses to extract nectar from specific long-tubed flowers, and its energetic, buzzy flight as it defends feeding territories.

Fun Facts

Despite its flashy name, the Blue-throated Goldentail is a master of stealth, using its iridescent plumage not for display but for camouflage against dappled sunlight in the forest understory. It is one of the few hummingbirds known to habitually steal nectar by piercing the base of long, tubular flowers—a behavior called "nectar robbing"—rather than pollinating them properly. Males perform a peculiar "pendulum" flight display, swinging back and forth like a metronome while producing a metallic, buzzing sound with their tail feathers.

Habitats & Distribution

The Blue-throated Goldentail inhabits humid to semi-humid lowland forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, often near streams or rivers. It is also found in coffee plantations and gardens with flowering trees. Its geographical range extends from southern Mexico through Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama) to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, typically occurring from sea level up to about 1,500 meters in elevation.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The Blue-throated Goldentail is generally solitary, with males defending feeding territories from other hummingbirds and potential competitors. During the breeding season, males perform a courtship display involving a steep dive followed by a rapid ascent, producing a distinctive whirring sound with their wings to attract females. After mating, the female alone constructs a small cup-shaped nest from plant fibers and spider webs, often on a horizontal branch. She incubates the two white eggs for about 15 to 18 days, then feeds the chicks regurgitated nectar and small insects until they fledge at roughly three weeks. There is no pair bond beyond copulation, and males take no part in parental care. A unique strategy is the female’s use of spider silk to bind the nest to vegetation, allowing it to expand as the chicks grow, which helps accommodate the developing young without rebuilding.

Diet

The Blue-throated Goldentail primarily feeds on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, using its long, specialized tongue to extract the sugary liquid. It is known to favor tubular red or orange blossoms, such as those of Heliconia and bromeliads, and will defend rich feeding territories aggressively. An interesting fact about its diet is that, like many hummingbirds, it also consumes small insects and spiders, which provide essential protein and nutrients, particularly during the breeding season. Furthermore, this species has been observed engaging in trap-lining, visiting a specific sequence of flowers in a predictable pattern to maximize energy efficiency while feeding.

Colors

The Blue-throated Goldentail has a brilliant emerald-green back and crown, a vivid blue throat, and a coppery-gold tail with a dark terminal band. Its underparts are pale gray, and it lacks significant camouflage, relying instead on iridescent feather structure that can make it appear dull in low light. The male’s forked tail and the female’s duller, more olive tones are the main sex-based differences.

Distribution Map

Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.