Blue-throated Mountain-gem Gallery
Lampornis clemenciae
eBird describes the Blue-throated Mountain-gem like this: Very large for a hummingbird; size alone separates from many other species. Males and females similar: gray below, dusky-greenish back, brown rump, and large dark tail with prominent white corners. Also note white eyebrow and short white mustache stripe. Male has bright blue throat patch, difficult to see unless the light hits it just right. Uncommon in canyons and mountains with mixed pine-oak forests, primarily in Mexico but barely extending into the U.S. Very similar to Amethyst-throated Mountain-gem, especially if you can’t see the throat color. Blue-throated is slightly larger and paler overall with larger white (not gray) tips on the tail feathers; females are plainer, lacking the buffy tones of Amethyst-throated. Also compare with Rivoli’s Hummingbird, especially females; Blue-throated is shorter-billed and plainer (less speckled) on the underparts. All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information about the Blue-throated Mountain-gem: Largest of the hummingbird species that nest in the United States, the Blue-throated Mountain-gem is an assertive presence at feeders and flower patches. Males have a brilliant sapphire-colored gorget that glitters in good light; both sexes have double white stripes on the face and gray underparts. This Mexican species barely reaches the U.S. in southeastern Arizona and southwestern Texas, where it visits streamside flowerbanks and gardens. Unusual among hummingbirds, both female and male have complex songs, sometimes given in a duet during courtship.
I saw my first Blue-throated Mountain-gem at Cave Creek Ranch near Portal, Arizona. My visit to Cave Creek Ranch was on the tail end of my Fall 2022 rock art trip to Petrified Forest National Park. I was up early on the morning of Monday, October 24, and sat at the feeders at Cave Creek Ranch (near the office) for about thirty minutes. It was here that I got several looks at this bird. I was delighted to add this bird to my Life List! Here are a few pictures I took that morning. The light was very low, so my pictures are not that sharp.
“Cool Facts” About the Blue-throated Mountain-gem From All About Birds:
- As might be expected for the largest U.S. hummingbird species, the Blue-throated Mountain-gem beats its wings about half as fast as smaller species. Still, it manages to beat them 23 times a second while hovering.
- The Blue-throated Mountain-gem is about three times heavier than the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
- Hybridization among hummingbird species is fairly common, but because male hummers don’t help raise the young, it can be difficult to figure out which species are involved in hybrids. Blue-throated Mountain-gem hybridizes with the Magnificent Hummingbird (another large species) but also with smaller species, probably including Costa’s, Anna’s, and Black-chinned.
- The Blue-throated Mountain-gem was called Blue-throated Hummingbird until mid-2019. It is a member of the mountain-gem genus, Lampornis, which includes 7 other species that occur south of the United States. Blue-throated was renamed so that all members of the genus (Lampornis) would have the same English name.
- The female Blue-throated Mountain-gem gives a special call that appears to indicate that she is ready to mate. She makes a series of short flights that appear to be a display to the male before copulation. Unlike most North American hummingbirds, male Blue-throated Mountain-gems do not have an aerial display.
- These birds will mob predatory birds as big as Northern Goshawks, sometimes working cooperatively to drive away the predator.
- The oldest known Blue-throated Mountain-gem was a male, and at least 7 years, 11 months when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Arizona.