Rivoli’s Hummingbird

Eugenes fulgens

Quick Facts

Migratory
  • Scientific Name: Eugenes fulgens
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí magnífico
  • Family: Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Rivoli's Hummingbird, Magnificent Hummingbird
  • Average Length: 12–14 cm / 4.7–5.5 in
  • Average Weight: 6–10 g / 0.21–0.35 oz
  • Wingspan: 14–16 cm / 5.5–6.3 in
  • Key Feature: Iridescent purple crown and bright emerald green throat in males
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (primarily nectar), also small insects and spiders
  • Range: Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico) to Nicaragua and Costa Rica
  • Habitat: Mountain pine-oak forests, cloud forests, and canyons at elevations of 1,500–3,500 m
  • Social Structure: Solitary, except during breeding
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup-shaped nest on a horizontal tree branch, often over water or a steep slope
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

Rivoli’s Hummingbird (*Eugenes fulgens*), formerly known as the Magnificent Hummingbird, is a dazzling jewel of the highland forests from the southwestern United States to Central America. One of the largest hummingbirds north of Mexico, it boasts a striking general appearance: males display a brilliant, iridescent violet crown that contrasts sharply with a shimmering emerald-green throat and a deep, forked tail, while females are more subdued with gray underparts and a white eye stripe. Its most unique characteristic is its exceptionally long, slightly curved bill, which is specialized for feeding on tubular flowers like those of the agave and trumpet vine. A special feature is its remarkable flight agility, allowing it to hover with precision at altitudes over 10,000 feet, and its males perform dramatic, high-arcing courtship dives that end with a sharp, metallic squeak, making it a spectacular sight for any observer.

Fun Facts

Despite its jewel-toned plumage, the Rivoli’s Hummingbird (formerly the Magnificent Hummingbird) is a notorious bully at feeders, aggressively chasing away much larger birds like orioles and jays. Its tongue is a bizarre, double-barreled tube that splits at the tip, allowing it to lap up nectar at 13 licks per second—a speed faster than a human eye can track. One of the few hummingbirds that regularly hovers in place while pooping mid-flight, it also enters a nightly state of torpor so deep that its heart rate drops from 1,200 beats per minute to under 50, making it appear temporarily dead.

Habitats & Distribution

Rivoli's Hummingbird inhabits montane environments, primarily humid pine-oak and evergreen forests, as well as cloud forests and forest edges, often at elevations between 1,500 and 3,500 meters. It is also found in adjacent clearings, shaded coffee plantations, and gardens with abundant flowering plants. Its geographical range extends from the southwestern United States (southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico) through the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico, and continues south through the highlands of Central America, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and northern Nicaragua.

Behaviours & Reproduction

Rivoli's Hummingbird is a solitary species outside of breeding, with no pair bond formed beyond the mating act. Males are highly territorial around feeding sites but do not participate in nesting or parental care. Courtship involves the male performing a dramatic U-shaped dive display from a height of up to 30 meters, producing a sharp, metallic sound with his tail feathers at the bottom of the dive to attract a female. The female alone builds a small, cup-shaped nest of plant down and spider silk, often on a horizontal branch high in a tree. She lays two white eggs and incubates them for 15–19 days, then feeds the chicks regurgitated nectar and small insects. A unique reproductive strategy is her ability to delay egg-laying during cold snaps or food scarcity, as well as her use of torpor—a deep, energy-saving sleep—at night to conserve resources for egg production and chick rearing.

Diet

Rivoli's Hummingbird, also known as the magnificent hummingbird, is a nectar specialist that feeds primarily on the high-energy sugar water from a variety of colorful, tubular flowers, including those of penstemon, salvia, and mimulus. Interestingly, its long, straight bill and extendable tongue are perfectly adapted to access deep floral corollas, a trait that also makes it an important pollinator. To meet its extreme metabolic demands, it supplements its liquid diet with small insects and spiders, which it catches in mid-air or gleans from foliage, providing essential protein, fats, and amino acids. A fascinating fact is that during cold nights or periods of food scarcity, this species can enter a state of torpor, dramatically lowering its body temperature and heart rate to conserve energy, effectively fasting until dawn when it resumes its high-frequency feeding schedule of visiting hundreds of flowers per day.

Colors

Rivoli's Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) has a deep, metallic violet-blue crown and throat, contrasting with a bright emerald green back and bronze-tinged rump. The male displays a vivid white spot behind the eye, while the female is duller with grayish underparts and green upperparts, lacking the iridescent head. Its coloration provides camouflage in dappled forest light, with the iridescent patches flashing only in direct sun to signal or startle.