The largest violetear, 13–14 cm long, males 5.8–8.5 g and females 6–7.5 g. The nominate male is metallic bluish green above with a bluish-violet chin, blue belly and green on the rest of the underparts; long erectile bluish-violet plumes cover the ears, and the tail is metallic green with a steely blue band near the end. Females are similar but smaller, often with a white spot behind the eye. Highly vocal and territorial.
Habitat
A wide range of semi-open habitats including gardens and parks in major cities such as Quito, often the commonest hummingbird in its range; prefers moister places than the lesser violetear.
Distribution
The highlands of northern and western South America: the Andes from Argentina northward, the Venezuelan Coastal Range and the tepuis. Absent from East Asia; Birdwatching Notebook lists it as an exotic.
Season and behaviour
Resident, seen all year within its range, guarding a patch of flowers or a feeder all day.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
It guards one clump of flowers and returns to the same perch: prefocus there, front-lit, 1/2500 s; the raised violet ear plumes show best when it drives off a rival. City parks and hotel gardens are enough, with no need to enter the forest.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
A blue-green hummingbird in a city garden; raised violet ears.
Similar species
Lesser violetear (smaller, green not blue belly, no violet chin); brown violetear (brown).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
Analyse a photoWhen a bird or flower in the picture is recognised reliably, the result's "Related encyclopedia" links to its page; when it is not, the link goes to the listing only.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
