Green Violet-ear
Colibri thalassinus
Name root – Colibri meaning “hummingbird”; thalassinus meaning “color of the sea”.
Distribution – Resident from north central Mexico south to western Panama. Also found in South America. Rare but regular visitor to Texas with a few records from adjacent states. Has been recorded north to Ontario and east to North Carolina.
Texas - Rare but annual visitor primarily to south Texas and the Hill Country. There are two records each for the Pineywoods of east Texas, the upper Texas Coast and the Trans-Pecos; there is one record for north Texas. Records range from April to October; however, most occur from mid-May through July. As of 2012 there were 72 documented records for Texas. First Texas record; 11 July 1961, Santa Ana NWR, Hidalgo County by R. J. Fleetwood.
Habitat - Primarily seconday forest and second-growth scrub.
Adult Green Violet-ear by Mark Lockwood
