Bird
Bird
Rufous-shafted Woodstar
Chaetocercus jourdanii
The Rufous-shafted Woodstar is one of the smallest hummingbirds in Trinidad, a tiny, bee-like bird of hill forest and forest edge whose fast, darting flight and small size can make it easy to mistake for a large insect.
The Rufous-shafted Woodstar is one of the smallest hummingbirds in Trinidad, a tiny, bee-like bird of hill forest and forest edge whose fast, darting flight and small size can make it easy to mistake for a large insect.
Identification
A very small hummingbird around 7 to 8 cm long, with males showing an iridescent violet-pink to purple throat (gorget), bronzy-green upperparts, and a distinctive buffy-rufous band across the chest. Females lack the bright gorget, showing pale cinnamon-buff underparts instead. Tail feathers show rufous shafts, a subtle feature giving the species its name.
Behaviour
Forages at flowering shrubs and trees in hill forest, forest edge, and gardens at middle elevations, feeding on nectar and small insects. Its flight is extremely fast and erratic compared to larger hummingbirds, and it is often detected by a soft, buzzy wingbeat sound rather than sight.
Status in T&T
Found in hill forest and forest edge in Trinidad's Northern Range, generally uncommon. Not considered threatened. It is protected as native wildlife under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
