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Green Thorntail is a rather uncommon resident of the Panamanian foothills. It can now be found rather easily at the Canopy Lodge
in El Valle, although it is a recent enough addition to the list of Lodge regulars that, as of my May 2006 visit, the Lodge's owner,
Raúl Arias, had not yet seen it. The male Green Thorntail is truly one of the most beautiful hummingbirds I've ever seen.
I exhibited a great deal of patience to film this bird; I stood motionless for some time next to the flowering bushes frequented by
the thorntail, until it finally perched only a few feet away for an extended period. The thorntail was periodically harassed by
very aggressive Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds, but it would usually return after a brief skirmish. The only time I saw the rather large Green
Throntail exhibit any sort of aggression was when it chased a tiny Rufous-crested Coquette from flowers near Raúl's house. I've included
a few stills of this gorgeous bird here, including one somewhat blurry shot of it in flight, an image I like because it shows how
the male cocks its tail at extreme angles for balance while feeding on the wing.
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