The true, if not the restricted, habitat of this species is the eastern portion of Brazil, over which it is distributed from Pernambuco on the north to Rio Janeiro on the south, from which latter locality and Bahia few collections are sent to Europe which do not contain specimens; consequently it is one of the commonest birds in our museums.
The changes of plumage to which it is subject are less diversified than those of Florisuga mellivora and F. flabellifera: when fully adult the female appears to differ from the male only in her smaller size, and in the black colouring of her head and breast being less pure, or in other words, slightly tinged with brown; a rufous moustache, however, commencing under the eye and running down the sides of the neck and sometimes pervading the ear-coverts, is found to exist in some specimens. It will be recollected that this feature is also observable in some examples of the other two species, but whether it is indicative of the female sex or of immaturity I am unable to say; a diversity is also found to exist in the extent of the black tipping of the lateral tail-feathers, some being merely bordered with purplish black, while others have that hue extending over somewhat more than their apical half.
The male has the whole of the upper and under surface and tail-coverts deep velvety black, glossed on the tips of the feathers with a bronzy hue; wing-coverts and rump tinged with green; wings purplish brown; two centre tail-feathers black, with bronzy green reflexions; lateral tail-feathers white, with a broad band of purplish black at the tip; lower part of the flanks white; tarsi purplish black in front, white behind; bill black.
The supposed female is similar in colouring, but is of a browner hue.
The figures are of the natural size: the plant is a species of Oncedium, common in Brazil.
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
