Lophornis helenae (Delattre, 1843)

Common Name and Size

Lophornis helenae, commonly called the black-crested coquette, is 6.3 to 7.7 cm (2.5 to 3.0 in) long with an average weight of 2.6 to 2.8 g (0.092 to 0.099 oz).

Adult Male Head Plumage

Adult males have a dark metallic green crown with a wispy greenish black crest.

Adult Male Upperbody Plumage

Their nape and back are metallic bronze green, and a white band separates the back from the sooty blackish rump and uppertail coverts.

Adult Male Tail Plumage

Their central tail feathers are dull greenish bronze, between cinnamon rufous bases and dusky ends, while their outer tail feathers are cinnamon rufous.

Adult Male Throat Plumage

Their chin and upper throat are metallic yellowish green with a velvety black band below. The sides of the throat have tufts of buff feathers with velvety black margins.

Adult Male Underbody Plumage

Their breast is metallic bronze, their belly and flanks are white with metallic bronze spots, and their undertail coverts are cinnamon rufous.

Adult Male Bill Characteristics

The male's bill is bright red with a black tip.

Adult Female Upperparts Plumage

Adult females have dark metallic green to bronze green upperparts with a narrow white band across the rump. Their crown is plain, lacking the male's crest. Their lower rump and uppertail coverts are black with a bronze gloss.

Adult Female Tail Plumage

Their central tail feathers are olive bronzy between cinnamon rufous bases and blackish ends, and their outer tail feathers are cinnamon rufous with a wide black band near the end.

Adult Female Head and Throat Plumage

Females have a black face. Their chin and throat vary widely from pale grayish buff to cinnamon tones and do not have the male's tufts.

Adult Female Underbody Plumage

Their breast is metallic bronze, their belly is white with metallic bronze spots, and their undertail coverts are cinnamon rufous.

Adult Female Bill Characteristics

The female's maxilla is black, and the mandible is red with a dark tip.

Immature Male Characteristics

Immature males resemble adult females, but have a smaller crest than adult males and a whitish throat with a small black apron.

Immature Female Characteristics

Immature females resemble adult females.

Species Distribution

The black-crested coquette is distributed from southern Veracruz in Mexico south through eastern Guatemala, southern Belize, and eastern Honduras and Nicaragua into eastern Costa Rica. A separate population lives on the Pacific side of Central America, from Chiapas in Mexico south through much of western Guatemala.

Habitat Preferences

This species inhabits semi-open landscapes at the edges of humid montane and lowland evergreen forests, and also occurs in forest gaps and brushy areas.

Elevation Range

In terms of elevation, it ranges from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Mexico, and between 300 and 1,200 m (980 and 3,940 ft) in Costa Rica.