Fun Snowcap Hummingbird Facts For Kids

Also known as snowcap (Microchera albocoronata) hummingbirds are a tiny hummingbird species found mostly in the Central American countries of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. They are so small that they are easily mistaken for insects. The colors of these birds are striking and the colors contrast well with their shining white cap. This makes them stand out in dark forests where they fly free. The birds are also known by the name white-crowned hummingbirds. This name was given due to the white cap that males of the species possess.

These hummingbirds are native to the mountain slopes of Costa Rica. They are known to primarily feed on nectar from the vibrant, scented flowers of many different trees in the forest. Their bill and long tongue help them suck nectar from flowers. They also feed on insects occasionally. The bird is so small, at just 2.56 in (6.5 cm), that they look even smaller than a penny!

There are many species of hummingbirds found all over the world. All are brightly colored and feed on nectar from a lot of flower species. Read some interesting facts about other species of birds, such as the shoebill and the great green macaw here on Kidadl.

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What type of animal is a snowcap hummingbird?

The snowcap hummingbird is a species of hummingbirds.

What class of animal does a snowcap hummingbird belong to?

The snowcap (Microchera albocoronata) hummingbird falls under the class of Aves in the kingdom of Animalia.

How many snowcap hummingbirds are there in the world?

The exact population is unknown for this bird species from Costa Rica. There is no immediate threat to their population, however, it is seen to be decreasing.

Where does a snowcap hummingbird live?

The snowcap hummingbird occurs naturally in many Central American countries. These countries include Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and central and western Panama. Because of their small size, they are extremely difficult to locate when they fly free in the forest. Snowcaps are known to breed at a height of 1000-2600 ft (304.8-792.48 m) in the mountain slopes of Costa Rica's Tirimbina Reserve in Central America. After the breeding season, some of these birds are seen moving down to the lowlands and the other half move up the mountains to 4500 ft (1371.6 m).

What is a snowcap hummingbird's habitat?

Snowcap hummingbirds are found in the Central American cloud forest. They feed on flowers from the trees in a humid evergreen forest. The basic habitat of these birds is high in the canopy and near the edges of the forest. They can also be located in woodlands. They only carry out altitudinal migration during and after breeding.

Who do snowcap hummingbirds live with?

They are usually solitary and are not found in flocks or groups. Feeding is also done alone. These birds do not form pairs during the breeding season and the only involvement of the male in repoduction is the mating itself.

How long does a snowcap hummingbird live?

The average age of Costa Rica's white-crowned hummingbirds is not known. Generally, hummingbirds live to the age of five.

How do they reproduce?

Male snowcaps join small leks to attract a female. Males assemble in an area near the edge of the forests to sing for females. Males mate with many females and leave right after mating. Females might also mate with several males. Only females are known to choose and build a nest. Males do not take part in the nesting process. The nest is made of plant fibers and green moss is used to camouflage the nest from predators. There have been many cases of predators feeding on the eggs of these hummingbirds. Nests are prepared on low, skinny horizontal branches.

Two white eggs are laid by females which are then incubated by them for more than a week, and sometimes two. Males are known to fly free and defend their territory and the flower they are constantly feeding on.

The young are born blind and unable to move around. Females care for the young and feed them insects for protein. They force the food down the young's throat into the stomach using their long bill. Chicks are brooded only for a week or two and they leave the nest after 20 days.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of snowcaps is categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. However, their population has been seen reducing recently due to habitat degradation.

What do snowcap hummingbirds look like?

Snowcap hummingbirds (Microchera albocoronata) have a short bill and tail. Males are colored black with the upper plumage having a red or purple coloration. The dark burgundy colored plumage contrasts well with the white cap in males. The outer tail feathers are colored white. The bill and the legs are colored black. Females have a bronze greenish coloration with white plumage below. The outer tail feathers are colored dull white. The young look like females, with a much duller coloration. They have bronzed central tail feathers.

How cute are they?

Their vibrant colors and small size make these birds look beautiful.

How do they communicate?

The call of snowcaps is like a loud, singing sound of 'tsitsup tsitsup tsitsup tsuu ttsee'.

How big is a snowcap hummingbird?

The tiny hummingbird species called the snowcap hummingbird has a length range of up to 2.56 in (6.5 cm). The length of the smallest bird in the world called the bee hummingbird has a range of just 2.1-2.4 in (5.33-6.1 cm).

How fast can a snowcap hummingbird fly?

The speed of snowcaps is not known but the flying speed of a typical hummingbird is 25-30 mph (40.23-48.28 kph).

How much does a snowcap hummingbird weigh?

Snowcap hummingbirds (Microchera albocoronata) have a range of weight up to 0.0055 lb (2.5 g). This bird is lighter than a penny!

What are their male and female names of the species?

Males and females are not given different names.

What would you call a baby snowcap hummingbird?

A baby snowcap hummingbird is called a chick or young.

What do they eat?

Snowcap hummingbirds are known for feeding on nectar from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs, and epiphytes. They need high-energy nectar and use their long tongues to extract it from flowers.

Hummingbirds usually feed on a lot of insects like dragonflies, ants, aphids, fruit flies, gnats, weevils, beetles, mites, mosquitos, and spiders during the breeding season as they need a high protein intake from feeding. The snowcap bird is even smaller than butterflies! Snowcaps are also known to visit hummingbird feeders a lot for the sweet water.

Predators feeding on the snowcaps include birds like eagles, hawks, and snakes. These Central American hummingbirds are also scared away by bigger hummingbirds in the same habitat.

Are they dangerous?

This Central American bird found mostly in Costa Rica and Honduras is not at all dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

They have a very specific habitat and it is not possible to recreate the same habitat in our homes. Therefore, these birds should not be considered pets.

Did you know...

These birds are found in the canopy and edges of wet forests.

The earliest known hummingbird fossils were 47 million years old and were found in Germany. They were known to have acquired bones for hovering flight 30 million years ago. So, yes, these birds can be considered prehistoric.

Hummingbirds are said to be found in a lot of ecosystems and landscapes, including temperate woodlands, mountain meadows, cloud forests, tropical rainforests, and deserts. They also help the ecosystem they live in as they are carriers of pollen from one place to another.

What is the oldest hummingbird?

The oldest hummingbird ever captured was a female broad-tailed hummingbird. It was captured in Colorado in the United States at the age of 12 years and two months.

What is the rarest hummingbird?

Spatuletail hummingbirds found in Peru can be considered the rarest hummingbirds in the entire world. There are other hummingbird species in South America that are quite rare too, like the glittering starfrontlet, the colorful puffleg, and the royal sunangel.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our willow flycatcher facts and flycatcher facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable snowcap hummingbird coloring pages.