Violet-headed Hummingbird is a rather local resident of the Panamanian foothills, although it enjoys a rather broad range overall.
The male, with its brightly iridescent head, is one of the most beautiful hummingbirds in the region; the brightness of the crown changes
as the light shifts, explaining how it does not act as a bullseye for potential predators. The female, pictured below, is much more
plainly colored, the white 'teardrop' behind the eye being the best indicator of its specific identity. Like many small hummingbirds (Violet-headed
is about 3 inches long), it escapes the attention of larger, more territorial hummingbirds by slipping in quietly for brief and irregular
feeding raids. This was the case when I filmed the male pictured here, who visited the gardens around the Canopy Lodge infrequently, choosing a few bushes
away from most of the hummingbird activity; I never saw this bird chased by any of the abundant and aggressive Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds present in the area.
Alexander Skutch (Wilson Bulletin, 1958) describes large numbers of male Violet-headed Hummingbirds gathering in so-called
"singing assemblies" (non-passerine vocalizations are more generally described as "calls") where, prior to the breeding season, males vie for the attention of females.
I had not previously heard of such a lek-like gathering in hummingbirds, although further research reveal at least one other species
that engages in this behavior. One generally does not think of hummingbirds as flocking for any reason other than feeding, and I certainly
would love to some day observe such a displaying assemblage!
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