Violet Sabrewing

Campylopterus hemileucurus

eBird describes the Violet Sabrewing like this:  Very large, spectacular, and aggressive hummingbird of humid evergreen forest in highlands and foothills, descending locally and seasonally to lowlands in southeastern Mexico. Feeds at all levels at flowers and at times in canopy of roadside trees. Note the very large size, thick arched bill, and big, flashy white tail corners. Male’s amazing purple plumage often looks blackish overall, but when it catches the light—wow!

The Birds of the World website introduces this bird with this descriptive information:  The Violet Sabrewing is the largest species of hummingbird in Middle America. It occurs in montane forests from southern Mexico south to western Panama, and also is found at forest edges, in second growth forests, banana plantations, and flower gardens. The elevational range of the Violet Sabrewing in Mexico primarily is 500-2000 m, and 1500-2400 m in Costa Rica, but it frequently descends to lower elevations outside of the breeding season.  In both sexes, the outer tail feathers have broad white tips. Otherwise the plumage of the male is very dark: the head, upper back and underparts are deep violet, and the lower back and rump are dark green. The female is paler green above, and mostly light gray below, with a blue throat. The males are polygynous and are not involved in the parental care. Males display at communal display grounds (leks), where up to 10 males sing from the understory. Females build bulky nests, lined with fine plant fibres and mosses. The nests of the Violet Sabrewings are placed 1-6 m above the streams or rivers on a horizontal branch.

I met, and photographed, my first Violet Sabrewing on the afternoon of Sunday, February 12, 2023 in Costa Rica.  Our birding group with Tropical Birding Tours was at the Hummingbird Gallery of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve when we spotted a number of these beautiful hummingbirds at the feeders.  They were amazing to watch!