Frilled Coquette

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Lophornis magnificus
  • Spanish Name: Coqueta crestirrufa
  • Family: Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Frilled Coquette, Magnificent Coquette
  • Average Length: 7.5–8.5 cm / 3.0–3.3 in
  • Average Weight: 2.5–3.5 g / 0.09–0.12 oz
  • Wingspan: N/A
  • Key Feature: Striking rufous and green frilled neck feathers (gorget) in males
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore, occasionally small insects
  • Range: Eastern Brazil (Bahia to Rio de Janeiro)
  • Habitat: Atlantic Forest, forest edges, clearings, and gardens
  • Social Structure: Solitary, except during breeding
  • Nesting/Breeding: Small cup nest built on a tree branch
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The Frilled Coquette (*Lophornis magnificus*) is a dazzling hummingbird native to Brazil, renowned for its extravagant, iridescent plumage. This tiny bird, measuring a mere 7 centimeters, boasts a striking emerald-green body and a coppery-orange rump, but its most unique feature is the male's spectacular courtship display: a vibrant, fan-shaped ruff of long, pointed feathers around its throat, shimmering with electric green and blue hues, which it erects to attract mates. Its forked, bronze tail and a small, fiery orange crest complete its jewel-like appearance. Despite its ornate beauty, this species is a powerhouse, capable of hovering mid-air with rapid wingbeats to feed on nectar from flowers, and its specialized tongue allows it to extract food efficiently, making it both a marvel of evolution and a vital pollinator in its tropical forest habitat.

Fun Facts

Despite its dainty size (barely 7 cm), the male Frilled Coquette is a tiny avian acrobat that performs a dramatic "pendulum" display, swinging back and forth in front of a female while flaring its spectacular, iridescent red and green throat ruff. It has a unique, deeply forked tail that it snaps open and shut like scissors during courtship, producing an audible clicking sound. To fuel its hyperactive metabolism, this hummingbird will aggressively guard a single cluster of flowers, using its specialized, brush-tipped tongue to lap up nectar while hovering in place with wings beating up to 80 times per second.

Habitats & Distribution

The Frilled Coquette is found exclusively in eastern and southeastern Brazil, primarily within the Atlantic Forest biome. Its habitat consists of humid, lowland to montane forests, forest edges, and clearings, as well as second-growth woodlands and gardens or plantations with flowering trees. The species is most common in areas with abundant epiphytes and bromeliads, which provide nectar sources, and it typically occurs from near sea level up to around 1,200 meters in elevation. Its distribution extends from the state of Bahia southward through Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and into São Paulo and eastern Minas Gerais, though it is often localized due to its specific dependence on intact or semi-degraded forest habitats.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The Frilled Coquette is a solitary and highly territorial species, with males defending small feeding territories rich in nectar-producing flowers. During the breeding season, males perform elaborate aerial displays to attract females, including rapid dives and hovering while fanning their iridescent throat feathers and crest. There is no pair bond; after copulation, the male plays no role in nesting or parental care. The female alone builds a small cup-shaped nest of plant fibers and spider silk, typically in a tree fork. She incubates a clutch of two eggs for about 14-16 days and feeds the chicks regurgitated nectar and small insects until they fledge at around 20-22 days. A unique reproductive strategy is the extreme sexual dimorphism, where the male’s ornate plumage likely serves as a costly signal of fitness, while the female’s cryptic coloration aids in nest concealment.

Diet

The Frilled Coquette is a nectarivorous hummingbird, with its diet consisting almost entirely of sugary nectar from a variety of flowering plants, particularly those with tubular blossoms like those in the genera *Inga*, *Eucalyptus*, and *Malvaviscus*. To meet its high metabolic demands, it feeds frequently throughout the day, hovering in front of flowers to extract nectar with its specialized, extendable tongue. An interesting fact about its diet is that, like many hummingbirds, it also supplements its nectar intake with small arthropods, such as tiny spiders and insects, which it gleans from leaves or catches in mid-air. This protein source is crucial for growth and feather production, especially during the breeding season, and it is estimated that the Frilled Coquette must visit hundreds of flowers daily to consume enough energy to survive.

Colors

The male Frilled Coquette has a brilliant green back, rufous crown, and a striking coppery-red throat with elongated, iridescent green cheek tufts; females lack the throat frill and tufts, with a paler, spotted underside and green upperparts. Its white rump band and chestnut tail are distinctive, with no specific camouflage adaptation beyond the green back blending with forest foliage.