Antillean Hummingbird

Antillean Hummingbird

We congratulate Hannes Bonzheim on this sponsorship, which he won as 2nd prize (in the under 18 category)in our 2021 photo competition.

With a body length of 8 cm to 9.5 cm, the Antillean crested hummingbird(Orthorhyncus cristatus) is a small member of the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). It is endemic to the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico, so it only occurs here and nowhere else on earth.

The plumage of the male Antillean crested hummingbird is metallic bronze-green in colour on the upper side of the body and black on the underside. On the head, the male has a metallic green to blue-coloured feather cap, which is completely absent in the females. In addition, the underside of the female's body is grey instead of black. The beak and tail of both sexes are black in colour and quite short.

The habitat of the Antillean crested hummingbird is open landscapes, parks, plantations and forest edges at an altitude of up to 500 metres above sea level. There it goes in search of its food flowers, because like all hummingbirds, it feeds mainly on flower nectar. However, it also supplements its diet with various insects and other arthropods, which it either picks from the vegetation or catches in flight.

The breeding season of the Antillean crested hummingbird is mainly between March and June. The cup-shaped nest is built at a height of 1 m to 3 m on a thin branch of plant material. The clutch usually consists of 2 eggs, which are incubated exclusively by the female for around 17 to 19 days. The young then need another 3 to 4 weeks until they are ready to fledge.

Although it only has a limited distribution area, the population of the Antillean crested hummingbird is not currently classified as endangered. It is quite common on all the larger islands, which is mainly due to the fact that it is hardly disturbed by human influences.