Selasphorus ellioti (Ridgway, 1878)

Taxonomy and Size

The wine-throated hummingbird, with the scientific name Selasphorus ellioti (Ridgway, 1878), measures 6.5 to 7 cm (2.6 to 2.8 in) in total length. Females weigh 2 to 4 g (0.071 to 0.14 oz); male weights have not been documented. Both sexes of both recognized subspecies have a short, straight, blackish bill and a small white spot behind the eye.

Nominate Male Plumage

Males of the nominate subspecies have green upperparts. Their gorget is glittering rose pink with violet highlights, and its longer feathers toward the rear flare out and back. The flanks are a mix of cinnamon and green, and the rest of the underparts are whitish.

Nominate Male Tail

The central pair of tail feathers are green with some rufous coloring at the base. The remaining tail feathers are rufous with a wide black band near the tip; the outermost pair have white tips.

Nominate Female Plumage

The nominate female also has green upperparts. The chin and throat are white with many dusky spots. The upper breast is white, the center of the belly is whitish, and the flanks and undertail coverts are cinnamon.

Nominate Female Tail

The female's tail has more black and less rufous than the male's, and the tips of the outer feathers are more cinnamon than white.

S. e. selasphoroides Size

Subspecies S. e. selasphoroides is slightly smaller than the nominate subspecies.

S. e. selasphoroides Male Plumage

Males of this subspecies have plumage similar to that of the nominate males. However, their gorget has no blue or violet coloring, and can even look green at some angles. Their underparts are more buff than white, and the tips of their outer tail feathers are buff.

S. e. selasphoroides Female Plumage

Females of this subspecies have smaller metallic spots on the throat, buff-colored flanks and undertail coverts, dusky tips on the inner tail feathers, and buff tips on the outer tail feathers.

Subspecies Distribution

In terms of distribution and habitat, the nominate subspecies is the more northerly of the two. It occurs in Chiapas, southern Mexico, and across most of Guatemala. S. e. selasphoroides is found in western Honduras and northern El Salvador.

Habitat and Elevation

The species as a whole lives in a variety of montane landscapes, including the interiors, edges, and clearings of semi-humid to humid pine-oak and evergreen forest, as well as adjacent shrublands. It ranges in elevation between 1,500 and 3,500 m (4,900 and 11,500 ft).