{"id":234365,"date":"2026-02-11T13:27:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/?post_type=fauna&#038;p=234365"},"modified":"2026-02-11T13:27:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T18:27:28","slug":"rufous-tailed-hummingbird","status":"publish","type":"fauna","link":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/faune-2\/rufous-tailed-hummingbird\/","title":{"rendered":"Rufous-tailed Hummingbird"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amazilia tzacatl<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":262943,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":""},"collection":[],"country":[11],"fauna-group":[27488],"fauna-type":[27217],"class_list":["post-234365","fauna","type-fauna","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country-colombia","fauna-group-hummingbirds","fauna-type-birds"],"acf":{"scientific_name":"Amazilia tzacatl","animal_description":"The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (*Amazilia tzacatl*) is a vibrant and spirited gem of the neotropics, easily recognized by its shimmering metallic green body and its most defining feature\u2014a striking, cinnamon-colored tail that flashes brilliantly during flight. This medium-sized hummingbird sports a slender, slightly curved bill that is notably pinkish with a dark tip, adding to its colorful profile. Beyond its radiant appearance, the species is famous for its exceptionally bold and territorial personality; it is a fearless guardian of nectar sources, often seen aggressively chasing away much larger birds with high-speed aerial maneuvers and sharp, rhythmic \"chip\" calls. Common in gardens and forest edges from Mexico to Ecuador, this resilient bird combines breathtaking beauty with a feisty temperament, making it one of the most captivating and dominant figures in the hummingbird world.","animal_habitat":"This species maintains a broad geographical range extending from east-central Mexico through Central America and into South America, covering western Colombia, western Ecuador, and northwestern Venezuela. It is predominantly a lowland bird, though it can be found at elevations up to 1,200 meters or higher in certain regions.\n\nIts habitat consists mainly of open and semi-open landscapes, including forest edges, clearings, and second-growth scrub. It is highly successful in human-modified environments, frequently appearing in coffee plantations, suburban gardens, and urban parks. While it thrives in disturbed areas and along riverbanks, it typically avoids the dense interior of undisturbed rainforests.","animal_behavior_and_reproduction":"Intensely territorial and aggressive, these birds are known for dominating high-quality nectar sources by vigorously chasing away rivals, including larger bird species and insects. They maintain a primarily solitary social structure, with individuals defending specific floral patches from prominent perches to ensure a steady energy supply. This competitive behavior is central to their daily survival and is most pronounced in habitats where floral resources are concentrated.\n\nReproduction follows a polygynous system where males perform vocal displays from traditional perches to attract multiple females. Once mating occurs, the male provides no parental care or protection. The female independently constructs a small, cup-shaped nest using plant fibers, moss, and spider silk, which allows the structure to expand as the chicks grow. She typically lays two eggs and is solely responsible for incubation and feeding the young, a strategy that allows the male to focus entirely on defending his territory and seeking further mating opportunities.","diet":"The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird primarily subsists on a diet of nectar obtained from a wide variety of flowers, showing a particular preference for the nectar of Heliconia, banana, and coffee plants. To supplement this sugar-rich intake with essential proteins and minerals, it actively hunts small insects and spiders, often catching them in mid-air or plucking them from vegetation and spider webs. Interestingly, this species is exceptionally aggressive and territorial regarding its food sources; it frequently dominates flower patches and bird feeders, successfully chasing away not only its own kind but also larger hummingbird species and even butterflies. Because of its high metabolic rate, it must consume several times its body weight in nectar daily, visiting hundreds of flowers to maintain its energy levels.","colors":"The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is characterized by metallic golden-green upperparts and a brilliant iridescent green throat that transitions into a pale grey belly. Its most defining feature is the namesake coppery-rufous tail, which often displays dark bronze tips and complements a pinkish-red bill with a black tip. This shimmering green plumage provides effective camouflage within lush tropical foliage, while the earthy-toned tail helps the bird blend into sun-dappled branches and dried leaves.","fun_facts":"Famously feisty, these birds act as the \"bullies\" of the garden, aggressively defending nectar sources and even chasing away much larger species. They are highly opportunistic hunters and have been observed following lawnmowers or large mammals to snatch up insects stirred into the air. To accommodate their growing offspring, they construct nests using stretchy spider silk, which allows the structure to expand like a balloon as the chicks get bigger. Despite their delicate appearance, they are remarkably bold and will fearlessly dive-bomb potential intruders, including humans, who venture too close to their chosen floral patches.","conservation_status_&_efforts":"The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is currently classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, with a population that is suspected to be increasing across its extensive range. Unlike many tropical specialists, this hummingbird is highly adaptable and thrives in human-altered environments such as gardens, pastures, and coffee plantations. While it faces potential threats from heavy pesticide use in agricultural sectors and extreme weather events linked to climate change, its ability to utilize edge habitats and open spaces has allowed it to remain one of the most common and resilient hummingbird species in the Americas.\n\nBecause the species is not currently at risk, there are few conservation measures targeted exclusively at its protection. Instead, it benefits from broader regional initiatives aimed at habitat restoration and the promotion of bird-friendly agricultural practices, such as shade-grown coffee cultivation. These general efforts to maintain floral diversity and minimize chemical runoff help sustain the nectar sources and insect populations the bird relies on. Its continued success is largely attributed to this inherent flexibility and the presence of urban green spaces that act as secondary habitats.","endemic":false,"conservation_status":"Least Concern","ebird_link":{"url":"https:\/\/ebird.org\/species\/ruthum1","title":"View on Ebird","target":"_blank"},"animal_related_page":{"url":"https:\/\/animalia.bio\/rufous-tailed-hummingbird","title":"View on Animalia","target":"_blank"},"fauna_family":"Trochilidae","fauna_known_nicknames":"Rieffer's Hummingbird, Common Rufous-tail","fauna_average_length":"9\u201311 cm \/ 3.5\u20134.3 in","fauna_average_weight":"5.0\u20135.5 g \/ 0.18\u20130.19 oz","fauna_wingspan":"11 cm \/ 4.3 in","fauna_key_physical_feature":"Iridescent green plumage with a distinctive reddish-brown (rufous) tail","fauna_primary_diet":"Nectarivore (Floral nectar and small insects)","fauna_geographical_range":"East-central Mexico through Central America to western Ecuador and Venezuela","fauna_preferred_habitat":"Open country, gardens, forest edges, and agricultural clearings","fauna_social_structure":"Solitary and aggressively territorial","fauna_breeding_site":"Small cup-shaped nests constructed from plant down and spider silk on low branches","fauna_conservation_status":"Least Concern (LC)","fauna_population_trend":"Increasing","fauna_spanish_name":"Amazilia colirrufa","fauna_french_name":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna\/234365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fauna"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=234365"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=234365"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-group?post=234365"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-type?post=234365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}