Black-bellied hummingbird


The black-bellied hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.
It is found in moist forest and edge at middle elevations on the Caribbean slope in the Talamancan montane forests. When breeding they'll reach elevations between 900-2000m, and then afterwards many descend to 600m.
Per the name, the species has a black underbelly in males, but in females sexual dimorphism is displayed through a light grey underbelly. Males also tend to molt 1-2 months before the female.

Behavior

Hummingbirds will often claim specific flowers and guard them. This species is no different where the dominant males will lay claim to flowers in the canopy of a forest. Females will focus more on understories or forest edges where there is less competition. Its call has been identified as a sharp 'tseep' or peet', with sharp tsittering' during chases, and a 'high thin sputtering warble' for its song.

Breeding and diet

Its diet consists of arthropods and the nectar of Inga and Pithecellobium, epiphytes, and flowers of Cephaelis, Witheringia, and Besleria. In certain studies it has demonstrated greater interest towards short flower types vs long. The abundance of its flowers has correlated with when this species breeds - usually from October to March. With a nest only 2-4m off the ground, the clutch normally has ~2 plain white eggs.