Fiery-throated Hummingbird 0697
The Fiery-throated Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis) is sometimes called the Irazu Hummingbird. There are two subspecies, but both prefer the mountains or cloud forests of Costa Rica. They feed by hovering at flowering plants to eat nectar but they also sometimes pierce holes at the base of blossoms or use those made by other birds. The adult Fiery-throated Hummingbird has a shiny green body and dark blue tail. When the light catches it at the right angle, it displays an iridescent blue crown, a bright orange throat with a yellow border, and blue chest patch. The sexes look similar. The female lays two white eggs in a bulky cup shaped nest made of plant fiber six to twelve feet high at the end of a bamboo stem or under a bank. Incubation takes about two and a half weeks, and fledging another three weeks.