Best Hummingbird

The sword-billed hummingbird is the sole Ensifera species and the only bird whose bill exceeds its body, excluding tail, found along the Andes to Bolivia.

The wire-crested thorntail is Discosura popelairii, an Andean foothill hummingbird of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru described in 1846.

The white-booted racket-tail is an Ocreatus hummingbird of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela; males have white leg puffs and oval tail flags.

The scissor-tailed hummingbird is an endangered Hylonympha endemic to Venezuela's Paria Peninsula, with only about 3,000 to 4,000 mature birds.

The horned sungem is the sole Heliactin hummingbird, native mainly to Brazil's Cerrado and named in 1820 for the male's horn-like head plumes.

The giant hummingbird is a large Andean Patagona hummingbird; a 2024 genomic study split the complex into northern and southern species.

Rivoli's hummingbird is a mountain-gem hummingbird from the southwestern United States to Nicaragua, split from the Talamanca hummingbird in 2017.

The velvet-purple coronet is a monotypic Boissonneaua hummingbird of the Choco Andes in Colombia and Ecuador, described by Bourcier in 1851.

The great sapphirewing is the only Pterophanes species and one of the largest hummingbirds, found in high Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

The black-tailed trainbearer is a Lesbia hummingbird of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, named for the male's long black tail at Andean elevations.

The Brazilian ruby is a Heliodoxa hummingbird endemic to eastern and southeastern Brazil, first named Trochilus rubricauda by Boddaert in 1783.

The bearded mountaineer is a Peruvian endemic hummingbird and the only species in Oreonympha, described by John Gould in 1869 from Tinta, Peru.

The flame-throated sunangel is Heliangelus micraster, a small Ecuador and Peru hummingbird described by John Gould in 1872.

The Peruvian racket-tail is an Ocreatus hummingbird of eastern Ecuador and Peru, recognized by IOC and Clements as distinct from white-booted forms.

The Blue-bearded helmetcrest is an Endangered Colombian hummingbird of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, rediscovered in 2015 after decades unseen.

The pink-throated brilliant is a Heliodoxa hummingbird of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, recognized by its pinkish red throat patch and named by Gould in 1860.

The green-tailed trainbearer is a Lesbia hummingbird of the northern and central Andes, described by Lesson in 1832 and known for long green-tipped tails.

The purple-crowned fairy is a Heliothryx hummingbird from Mexico to northern Peru, notable for the male's violet crown and white underparts.

The empress brilliant is a Heliodoxa hummingbird of Colombia and Ecuador's Pacific-slope Choco forests, described by John Gould in 1856.

The hyacinth visorbearer is an Augastes hummingbird endemic to Brazil, notable as one of only two species in its genus with the hooded visorbearer.

The frilled coquette is Lophornis magnificus, a tiny hummingbird endemic to Brazil and described by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1817.

The buff-tailed sicklebill is a Eutoxeres hermit of the lower Andes and west Amazonia, notable for its deeply curved bill and buff outer tail.

The Hummingbird delivers a warm, complex, and slightly rounded tone, often favored for its beautiful, full-bodied sound that cuts through a mix without sounding harsh. Its distinctive body shape is iconic, giving it a strong aesthetic appeal for stage presence. While its tone is rich, it can sometim...

Gould's jewelfront is a Heliodoxa hummingbird of tropical South America, named by John Gould in 1846 and uncommon despite its wide range.

The rufous-booted racket-tail is an Ocreatus hummingbird of Peru and Bolivia, notable for males' crossed racket tail feathers and rufous leg puffs.

The black-bellied thorntail is Discosura langsdorffi, a hummingbird of Amazonia and eastern Brazil described by Temminck in 1821.

The Golden-breasted puffleg is an Eriocnemis hummingbird of Colombia and Ecuador, notable for glittering golden-green underparts.

The purple-throated sunangel is Heliangelus viola, an Ecuador and Peru hummingbird of Andean cloud forests described by Gould in 1853.

The Puerto Rican mango is Anthracothorax aurulentus, a Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands hummingbird widely treated as a full species in 2022.