{"id":250078,"date":"2026-02-11T06:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fauna\/white-necked-jacobin-female\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T06:24:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:24:30","slug":"white-necked-jacobin-female","status":"publish","type":"fauna","link":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/faune-2\/white-necked-jacobin-female\/","title":{"rendered":"White-necked Jacobin (female)"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florisuga mellivora<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":249906,"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-250078","fauna","type-fauna","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country-colombia","fauna-group-hummingbirds","fauna-type-birds"],"acf":{"scientific_name":"Florisuga mellivora","animal_description":"The female White-necked Jacobin (*Florisuga mellivora*) is a medium-sized hummingbird renowned for its intricate plumage and a fascinating evolutionary strategy known as andromorphism. While \"typical\" females display a shimmering bronze-green back and a distinctive white throat adorned with dark, scale-like speckles, approximately 20% of females are born looking identical to the vibrant blue-and-white males. This remarkable mimicry is a unique survival feature, allowing these females to avoid social aggression from territorial males and gain better access to high-quality nectar. Whether sporting their cryptic, scalloped patterns or their bold, masculine disguises, these agile residents of the tropical American lowlands are a testament to the complex social dynamics and biological diversity found within the hummingbird family.","animal_habitat":"This species maintains an extensive distribution that stretches from southern Mexico through Central America and deep into South America, reaching as far south as Peru, northern Bolivia, and central Brazil. It is also a common resident on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Within this vast range, it primarily inhabits humid tropical lowlands, favoring the canopy and sub-canopy of evergreen forests, tall secondary growth, and forest edges.\n\nIn addition to primary forests, it is frequently found in semi-open environments such as shaded coffee and cacao plantations, large gardens, and clearings with abundant flowering trees. While it is most active in the upper layers of the forest, it often descends to lower heights along edges and in shrubby areas to feed. Its preferred altitudinal range typically extends from sea level up to about 900 meters, though it may occasionally be found at higher elevations in various parts of its range.","animal_behavior_and_reproduction":"A significant portion of females exhibit a unique social strategy by retaining vibrant, male-like plumage into adulthood. This sexual mimicry functions as a protective mechanism, allowing them to avoid social aggression and physical harassment from dominant males, thereby securing better access to competitive nectar sources. While generally solitary and territorial, their social interactions are defined by this plumage variation, which helps minimize energy-depleting conflicts and provides a distinct survival advantage in resource-rich environments.\n\nReproduction follows a polygynous pattern where males perform aerial displays but provide no parental care after mating. The female is solely responsible for the nesting process, constructing a small, cup-shaped nest composed of plant down and spider silk, often positioned on the upper surface of a large, flat leaf for protection. She typically lays two eggs and handles all incubation and chick-rearing duties independently, demonstrating significant maternal investment while navigating the challenges of the habitat without male assistance.","diet":"The female White-necked Jacobin primarily consumes sugar-rich nectar from a diverse array of flowering plants, such as Heliconia and various epiphytes, while supplementing its caloric intake with small insects and spiders to obtain necessary protein. A fascinating aspect of its foraging behavior is linked to plumage dimorphism; a significant portion of females exhibit male-like, vibrant blue and white feathers, which grants them a social advantage at feeding sites. These \"androchromic\" females are less likely to be harassed by territorial males, allowing them to feed more frequently and access higher-quality nectar sources than the duller, \"heterochromic\" females. To capture prey, they often engage in \"hawking,\" skillfully snatching gnats and other tiny winged insects directly from the air, ensuring a balanced diet that supports their high metabolic demands.","colors":"Female White-necked Jacobins typically display metallic green upperparts and a distinctive scaly pattern of green and white on their throat and underparts, providing effective camouflage within forest foliage. Their tails are dark with prominent white outer tips, though some females exhibit male-like plumage featuring a blue head and white belly. Most individuals are characterized by this mottled, cryptic green coloration that distinguishes them from the male's bold, solid markings.","fun_facts":"Female White-necked Jacobins are masters of disguise, with approximately 20% of them exhibiting \"androchromatism,\" a trait where they sport the vibrant blue-and-white plumage typically reserved for males. This evolutionary trick allows these females to avoid social harassment and physical aggression from territorial males, granting them easier access to high-quality nectar. When nesting, they act as sole engineers, using stretchy spider silk to weave tiny cups that expand as their nestlings grow. Despite their delicate appearance, they are fierce competitors capable of hovering, flying backwards, and even briefly upside down to navigate the complex floral landscapes of the rainforest.","conservation_status_&_efforts":"The White-necked Jacobin is currently categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, supported by an extensive geographical range stretching from Mexico to the Amazon Basin. Although its total population has not been formally quantified, it is described as common across most of its habitat, and the population trend is generally considered stable. The primary threats to this species include habitat loss and fragmentation driven by agricultural expansion and deforestation. Additionally, climate change remains a long-term concern, as it may disrupt the synchronized flowering of nectar-producing plants that these hummingbirds rely on for survival.\n\nConservation efforts for this species are largely integrated into broader regional biodiversity protection strategies rather than species-specific recovery plans. The bird is listed under CITES Appendix II, which monitors and regulates international trade to prevent overexploitation. Significant portions of its range fall within established protected areas and biological reserves across Central and South America, providing essential sanctuary. Furthermore, research indicates that the species can adapt to human-modified environments, such as shade-grown coffee plantations, suggesting that sustainable land-management practices are vital for maintaining their populations outside of primary forests.","endemic":false,"conservation_status":"Least Concern","ebird_link":{"url":"https:\/\/ebird.org\/species\/whnjac1","title":"View on Ebird","target":"_blank"},"animal_related_page":{"url":"https:\/\/animalia.bio\/white-necked-jacobin","title":"View on Animalia","target":"_blank"},"fauna_family":"Trochilidae","fauna_known_nicknames":"Great Jacobin","fauna_average_length":"11\u201312 cm \/ 4.3\u20134.7 in","fauna_average_weight":"6\u201310 g \/ 0.21\u20130.35 oz","fauna_wingspan":"14\u201316 cm \/ 5.5\u20136.3 in","fauna_key_physical_feature":"Polymorphic plumage; approximately 20% of adult females are androchrome (mimicking male blue-and-white plumage), while others are heterochrome with green-scaled throats.","fauna_primary_diet":"Nectarivore and Insectivore","fauna_geographical_range":"Southern Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, and Central Brazil","fauna_preferred_habitat":"Humid tropical forest canopy, edges, and second-growth woodland","fauna_social_structure":"Solitary and highly territorial","fauna_breeding_site":"Cup-shaped nest made of plant fibers and spiderwebs, typically placed on a broad leaf","fauna_conservation_status":"Least Concern (LC)","fauna_population_trend":"Stable","fauna_spanish_name":"Colibr\u00ed Nuquiblanco","fauna_french_name":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna\/250078","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\/249906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=250078"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=250078"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-group?post=250078"},{"taxonomy":"fauna-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/remote-expeditions.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fauna-type?post=250078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}