Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Eupherusa eximia

eBird gives this description of the Stripe-tailed Hummingbird:  Distinctive, medium-sized hummingbird found in foothills and highlands. Favors humid evergreen forests and shade-coffee plantations. Mainly feeds at low to middle levels, darting quickly among flowers and flashing open its tail to reveal white stripes. Both sexes have a bright rusty panel in the wings, which appears as a blur when hovering. Male is brilliant green overall. Female is pale gray below and has less white in the tail.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Stripe-tailed Hummingbird with this descriptive information:  The Stripe-tailed Hummingbird’s most distinctive feature is probably its rufous wing patch. These hummingbirds inhabit cool, wet forest where they spend most of their time in the canopy. When away from the forest interior, they also drop to lower levels of the forest and females are sometimes seen in very shaded parts of the forest understory. Males are aggressive and defend flowers at times. They fan out their striped-looking tailed when singing.

I  met and photographed my first Stripe-tailed Hummingbird while on a birding tour of Costa Rica with Tropical Birding Tours.  Shortly aftet having lunch at Sueños del Bosque Lodge on the afternoon of February 8, 2023, we spotted this delightful little hummingbird perched in a bush.  The bird was very cooperative and I got some good photos.