Saucerottia beryllina
By: Biol. Jesús Ángel Barajas
This month, we are preparing to welcome hummingbirds, as they will soon begin migrating from different parts of South America to North America.
This time, we are introducing one of Mexico’s most frequent residents: the Berylline Hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina), which can be seen in the Vallarta Botanical Garden and will offer a friendly welcome to its northern cousins. If you hear a small trumpet call playing softly three times, it’s likely nearby, hiding among the flowers.
It prefers oak and pine-oak forests and scrubby clearings, but you can also find it in urban parks. It measures 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 4 inches) and weighs 4 to 4.4 g (1.5 to 1.8 oz).
It primarily feeds on flower nectar, but also enjoys consuming aphids, insects, and spiders. Occasionally, it aggressively chases away other hummingbirds, except for the Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), the Botanical Garden’s “bully”.
