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Rookery
Jamaican Streamertail, a rare bird in Roost
  • Jamaican Streamertail, profile

    Profile

  • Jamaican Streamertail, in flight

    In flight

Hummingbirds

Jamaican Streamertail

Trochilus polytmus

  • rare
  • 56 km/h
  • Least Concern

Jamaica's national bird. The male has tail feathers half again his body length that hum in flight.

Population
Not precisely quantified; described as fairly common with a stable population trend (no continuing range decline observed)
Habitat
Subtropical/tropical moist lowland and montane forests, secondary forest, wooded cultivation, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas; avoids mangroves and arid highlands; occurs 0–1,600 m elevation (Wikipedia cites up to 1,500 m) with seasonal altitudinal movements
Fun fact
The Red-billed Streamertail — Jamaica's national bird, nicknamed the "Doctor Bird" for its long black tail streamers resembling a physician's old-fashioned frock-coat tails — is the more widespread of Jamaica's two endemic streamertail species, occupying nearly the whole island versus the Black-billed Streamertail's small eastern range.
Range
Endemic to Jamaica, occurring across most of the island (excludes the extreme eastern end, home to the related Black-billed Streamertail, T. scitulus); Extent of Occurrence ~12,800 km²; 13 Important Bird Areas/Key Biodiversity Areas provide coverage
Diet
Primarily nectar from native and introduced flowering plants (preference for Besleria lutea), supplemented with small insects and spiders taken in flight or gleaned from foliage and webs
Size
0.23 m
Lifespan
8 years

More Hummingbirds

The next 12 of the 23 in the collection, after this one.