Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Amazilia violiceps
Name root – Amazilia (Amazili, an Inca heroine in a French novel); violiceps, violi (violoceus) meaning “violet colored” and ceps meaning “head”.
Distribution - Resident from northern portions of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sonora, Arizona and New Mexico, south to Guerrero and northwestern Oaxaca. Most birds retreat from extreme northern portions of the range in winter.
Texas - Accidental with 19 accepted records for Texas; 16 are from the Trans-Pecos region. This species can occur at any time of the year; however, recently there are more winter records than not, a trend also documented from southeastern Arizona. Last five records obtained in winter, two from Fort Davis and one from Fort Stockton. Only records outside of west Texas include 2 March 1998 in Lake Jackson (Brazoria County), 10-11 May 1999 in Weslaco (Hildago County), and 30 November through 25 December, 2007 in Lubbock (Lubbock County). First Texas record; 2-14 December 1987, in El Paso, El Paso County.
Habitat - Tropical deciduous forests, secondary and gallery forests and riparian woodlands.
Subadult Violet-crowned Hummingbird from Fort Stockton, 19 November 2008
Another view of the Fort Stockton Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Adult Violet-crowned Hummingbird from Fort Davis, 13 January 2009
Adult Violet-crowned Hummingbird at the Clay Miller Ranch near Valentine, 3 June 2002
Another view of the adult Violet-crowned Hummingbird at the Miller Ranch
