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Ramosomyia violiceps

(Gould, 1859)

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102386
Element CodeABNUC29150
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderApodiformes
FamilyTrochilidae
GenusRamosomyia
Synonyms
Amazilia violiceps(Gould, 1859)Leucolia violiceps(Gould, 1859)
Other Common Names
Ariane à couronne violette (FR) Colibrí Corona Violeta (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Species placed in Ramosomyia were formerly placed in Amazilia (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998) and then in Leucolia (e.g., Stiles et al. 2017, Chesser et al. 2021), but the type species of the latter is Leucippus fallax (Bourcier 1843) [Buffy Hummingbird]; thus, Leucolia is not available for the genus consisting of violiceps and viridifrons (Bruce and Stiles 2021) (AOS 2022).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2015-04-26
Change Date1997-07-15
Edition Date2015-04-26
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of OccurrencesUnknown
Rank Reasons
Large range in Mexico and southwestern United States; large population size; trend uncertain but probably relatively stable; uses native and altered habitats; no major threats.
Range Extent Comments
Ranges extends from northern Sonora, several mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, and western Chihuahua southward to Guerrero and (at least seasonally) northwestern Oaxaca, with casual or accidental records in central southern California (Sonoma, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties), central Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas (El Paso), and Veracruz; a sight report from Baja California (AOU 1998). In Arizona, nesting was observed at elevations 1,173-1,768 meters (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005).
Occurrences Comments
The number of distinct occurrences or subpopulations has not been determined using standardized criteria, but this species is represented by a large number of observation/collection sites (e.g., see GBIF database, eBird) and locations (as defined by IUCN).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. In Mexico, deforestation has eliminated considerable habitat and this continues in some areas, but ample habitat remains. These hummingbirds do not require pristine habitats, make use of disturbed and secondary forests/woodlands, and readily take nectar from exotic plant species and hummingbird feeders.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes tropical deciduous forest, gallery forest, secondary forest, arid to semiarid scrub, thorn forests, riparian and oak woodlands, and parks and gardens; in United States, this hummingbird occurs primarily in riparian woodland of sycamores (often with cottonwoood, walnut, evergreen oaks, or other tree species) with dense understory in desert foothill drainages and lower mountains canyons (AOU 1983, 1998; Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). Foraging occurs in these habitat and in adjacent more open areas with flowering agaves, yuccas, and other plants. In Guadalupe Canyon, Arizona and New Mexico, nests have been found primarily in sycamores, 7-12+ meters above ground, sometimes in oaks, rarely in other plant species (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). In Guadalupe Canyon, nests were at the edge of riparian vegetation in relatively open areas next to xeric hillsides (Baltosser 1989). Nests in Oaxaca (Mexico) were 1-2 meters above ground in small oaks (Johnsgard 1983).

Reproduction

Nesting in Arizona and New Mexico occurs from April through September, with much variation in timing among different locations (Wethington 2002). In Arizona, nesting peaks in July and August (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3B
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS1B,S1NYes
ArizonaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource useSmall (1-10%)Serious - slightHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (5)
Arizona (4)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
References (23)
  1. American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, A. W. Kratter, I. J. Lovette, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2020. Sixty-first Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 137(3):1-24.
  2. American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Sixty-third Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Ornithology 139:1-13.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 p.
  4. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  5. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  6. Baltosser, W.H. 1989. Nectar availability and habitat selection by hummingbirds in Guadalupe Canyon. Wilson Bulletin 101:559-578.
  7. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  8. Bleiweiss, R., J. A. W. Kirsch, and J. C. Matheus. 1994. DNA-DNA hybridization evidence for subfamily structure among hummingbirds. Auk 111:8-19.
  9. Bruce, M.D. and F.G. Stiles. 2021. The generic nomenclature of the emeralds, Trochilini (Apodiformes: Trochilidae): two replacement generic names required. Zootaxa 4950:377-382.
  10. Corman, T. E., and C. Wise-Gervais, editors. 2005. Arizona breeding bird atlas. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. x + 636 pp.
  11. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  12. Johnsgard, P. A. 1983c. Hummingbirds of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 304 pp.
  13. Martinez Del Rio, C., and L. Eguiarte. 1987. Bird visitation to Agave salmiana: comparisons among hummingbirds and perching birds. Condor 89:357-363.
  14. McGuire, J. A., C. C. Witt, J. V. Remsen, Jr., A. Corl, D. L. Rabosky, D. L. Altshuler, and R. Dudley. 2014. Molecular phylogenetics and the diversification of hummingbirds. Current Biology 24:1–7.
  15. Montgomerie, R. D. 1979. Energetics of foraging and competition in some tropcial hummingbirds. Ph.D. dissertation, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
  16. National Geographic Society (NGS). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
  17. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  18. Powers, D. R., and S. M. Wethington. 1999. Broad-billed Hummingbird (<i>Cynanthus latirostris</i>). No. 430 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 20pp.
  19. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  20. Stiles, F. G., J. V. Remsen, Jr., and J. A. McGuire. 2017. The generic classification of the Trochilini (Aves: Trochilidae): Reconciling classification with phylogeny. Zootaxa 4353:401–424.
  21. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  22. Wethington, S. M. 2002. Violet-crowned hummingbird (<i>Amazilia violiceps</i>). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/688. doi:10.2173/bna.688
  23. Williamson, S. L. 2000. Blue-throated hummingbird (<i>Lampornis clemenciae</i>). No. 531 in A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 16pp.