White-vented Violetear

Identification

The white-vented violetear is a small hummingbird measuring 12 to 13 cm in length and weighing just 5.6 to 6.8 grams. Males are predominantly shiny green, noticeably lighter in shade than other violetears, with a yellow-green rump suffused with blue shimmer. The tail is glittering green featuring a distinctive wide steel-blue band near the tip, while the undertail coverts are pure white—the feature that gives this species its English name. A striking violet-blue patch covers the area behind the eye and ears. Females are similar to males but paler and more grayish overall. Both sexes may display a serrated maxilla, a characteristic reflected in the species's scientific epithet serrirostris.

Range & Habitat

This species occupies a broad swath of southern South America, with its primary range extending across much of Brazil from Mato Grosso east through Goiás, Bahia, and Espírito Santo, then southward to Santa Catarina. Its distribution continues west into Bolivia, central Paraguay, and northern Argentina as far south as Córdoba Province. The white-vented violetear favors semi-open landscapes including scrublands, savanna, grassland, and human-modified habitats such as gardens and parks. Elevations between 1,000 and 1,500 meters are preferred, though the species ranges from sea level up to 3,600 meters in the Andes.

Behaviour & Diet

The white-vented violetear is mostly sedentary, though some populations undertake short migrations. Birds inhabiting elevations above treeline in Brazil are thought to descend to lower elevations during fall. This species forages for nectar from a diverse array of flowering plants and trees and supplements its diet by catching insects in mid-air. Notably aggressive for a hummingbird, it calls from perches while chasing away competing nectar-feeders and even butterflies from productive flower patches. An early riser, it typically begins feeding before other hummingbirds.

Breeding in parts of Brazil occurs between September and March. The female alone constructs a delicate cup-shaped nest from fine fibers and spider silk, decorated externally with lichens, and typically positions it about one meter above ground on a branch or vertical fork. She incubates the usual clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days, with young fledging 22 to 25 days after hatching. The male's song is a constantly repeated "tsilp, tsilp, zip, tsalp, tsalp" sequence that can persist for 25 minutes, while its primary call is a hard "drüg, drüg, drüg, drüg, drüg."

Best Time & Places to See It

The white-vented violetear is common throughout most of its range and occurs in several protected areas, making it a reliable species for travelers visiting southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. The breeding season in Brazilian portions of its range (September to March) offers opportunities to observe nesting behavior and territorial displays. This species' preference for semi-open habitats and gardens makes it accessible in both protected reserves and cultivated landscapes.

Photography Tips

The white-vented violetear's early-morning feeding activity and habit of calling from exposed perches provide excellent photography opportunities. The violet-blue ear patch and pure white undertail coverts are distinctive field marks worth capturing. The bird's aggressive territorial behavior means it will often return to favored flowering plants, allowing photographers to anticipate and compose shots. The steel-blue tail band is particularly striking in good light and should be a focus for highlighting the species's identification features.