Green-crowned Plovercrest

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Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Stephanoxis lalandi
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí coroniceleste
  • Family: Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Green-crowned Plovercrest
  • Average Length: 8.5–9.5 cm / 3.3–3.7 in
  • Average Weight: 3–4 g / 0.11–0.14 oz
  • Wingspan: N/A
  • Key Feature: Elongated, iridescent green crest on the crown of males
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (primarily nectar), also small arthropods
  • Range: Southeastern Brazil (Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul) and adjacent areas of Argentina and Paraguay
  • Habitat: Atlantic Forest, montane forests, forest edges, and clearings
  • Social Structure: Solitary or territorial, especially at feeding sites
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest built on a tree branch
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Decreasing

The Green-crowned Plovercrest (*Stephanoxis lalandi*) is a dazzling hummingbird endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, instantly recognizable by its male’s extraordinary, elongated crest that flares dramatically backward like a feathered plume. This iridescent crown shimmers in hues of emerald and violet, contrasting sharply with a deep black throat and chest, while the rest of the body glows with a metallic green sheen. A truly special feature is the male’s forked, scissor-like tail, which he fans and snaps during aerial courtship displays, producing a distinct mechanical sound. Females are more subdued in appearance, lacking the crest and tail ornamentation, with a white throat and underparts. Despite its small size, this species is a bold and energetic nectar-feeder, often defending its feeding territories with aggressive dives and chases, making it a jewel of the forest canopy.

Fun Facts

The male Green-crowned Plovercrest’s iridescent throat and crown shift from emerald to deep violet depending on the angle of light, a trick caused by microscopic feather structures that act like prisms. During courtship, males perform a bizarre "pendulum flight," swinging back and forth in a U-shaped arc while producing a loud, mechanical *zip-zip-zip* sound with their wing feathers. Despite being only 9 cm long, they fiercely defend flower patches by dive-bombing birds twice their size, and their long, curved bill is perfectly adapted to sip nectar from the tubular flowers of *Heliconia* and bromeliads.

Habitats & Distribution

The Green-crowned Plovercrest is endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome of southeastern Brazil, with its primary distribution concentrated in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo. It inhabits humid montane and submontane forests, typically occurring between 500 and 2,000 meters in elevation. The species is most often found in the dense understory of primary and secondary forests, as well as in forest edges, clearings, and adjacent areas with abundant flowering plants, particularly bromeliads and epiphytes, which provide nectar and nesting sites. It avoids heavily degraded or open areas, relying on continuous canopy cover and high humidity for survival.

Behaviours & Reproduction

Males are highly territorial during the breeding season, performing elaborate aerial display flights that include a distinctive, mechanical “sizzling” sound produced by their wing feathers to attract females. Courtship involves the male hovering in front of the female while fanning his iridescent violet crest and throat feathers. After mating, the female alone builds a small cup-shaped nest of plant down and spider webs, typically placed on a horizontal branch. She lays two white eggs and incubates them for about 13–15 days, then feeds the chicks with nectar and small arthropods. There is no male involvement in nesting or chick-rearing; females aggressively defend the nest site from intruders, including other hummingbirds. A unique reproductive strategy is their ability to lay a second clutch while still feeding fledglings from the first, maximizing reproductive output during the brief austral summer.

Diet

The Green-crowned Plovercrest is a specialized nectarivore, feeding primarily on the high-energy nectar of flowers from plants in families like Gesneriaceae, Rubiaceae, and Bromeliaceae, which it extracts using its long, extendable tongue. Interestingly, its diet is not purely liquid; it also consumes small arthropods, such as spiders and insects, to obtain essential proteins and amino acids, particularly during the breeding season. These tiny prey are caught by hover-gleaning, where the bird briefly hovers to pluck them from leaves or bark. Additionally, the Plovercrest’s bill shape is highly adapted to fit specific flower corollas, making it a key pollinator for certain plants, and it often exhibits trapline foraging, visiting a regular circuit of flowers to maximize its intake.

Colors

The male Green-crowned Plovercrest has a striking iridescent violet-blue throat and breast, contrasting with a brilliant emerald green crown and upperparts, while the female is duller with brownish-green upperparts and a pale, streaked underside. Its most unique feature is the male's elongated, velvety black crest that curves forward over the bill, and both sexes have a short, white postocular stripe. No specific camouflage adaptations are present; instead, the male’s vivid colors serve as display signals.

Distribution Map

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