Long-billed Starthroat
Here is a great close-up of the Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser on the last day of hummingbird research on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. More information on some great finds and recaptures will be coming soon. Our thanks to him and his colleagues for their tremendous work and gorgeous photos like this one.
Read MoreHummingbird frenzy!
Hummingbird frenzy! Check out all of these hummingbirds, sometimes over 50 at one time and several hundred in a short period, visiting feeders at Finca Pura Vida in Costa Rica. The most common species in the video is the Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) with others including Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), Blue-throated Goldentail (Hylocharis eliciae), Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii), White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora). There are also a few Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in the mix! They may be in your backyard this...
Read MoreLong-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) by Sean Graesser
This is a Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), another out of range species that Sean has been finding on the Nicoya peninsula. What he wanted to highlight here were the gorget feathers. These are the feathers located on the throat of this hummingbird and where males typically have their most colorful plumage. In most hummingbird species males develop these feathers as they age to be used for breeding displays with females. The gorget feathers actually reflect light due to their shape and the colors are not due to keratin based pigmentation. At different angles the light...
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