Apr 9, 2025
Hyacinth Visorbearer (Augastes scutatus), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, endemic to Brazil
photograph by Jarbas Mattos
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Sweden
seen from Sweden
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Uzbekistan
seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from United States
Hyacinth Visorbearer (Augastes scutatus), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, endemic to Brazil
photograph by Jarbas Mattos
Subfamily Polytminae hummingbirds
Which is the best bird?
Black-throated mango
Green-throated carib
Green-fronted lancebill
Sparkling violetear
Tooth-billed hummingbird
Horned sungem
Fiery-tailed awlbill
Ruby-topaz hummingbird
Black-eared fairy
Green-tailed goldenthroat
Hyacinth visorbearer
Geoffroy's daggerbill
the hyacinth visorbearer is a small hummingbird species endemic only to brazil. like other hummingbirds, they feed primarily on nectar and insects; they show preference for the nectar of bromeliads and cacti. aside from the male’s brighter markings, males are also larger than females, with notably longer wings & tail. the birds earn the ‘hyacinth’ portion of their name from the vibrant purple-blue coloration on their chests.
Hummingbirds, after Haekel
My take on a popular print, the 99th plate illustration from Ernst Haeckel’s Kunstformen der Natur. Featured are RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD Trochilus colubris (or Archilochus colubris), HORNED SUNGEM Heliactin cornuta, CRIMSON TOPAZ Topaza pella, TUFTED COQUETTE Lophornis ornata (now: Lophornis ornatus), RED-TAILED COMET Sparganura sappho (or Sappho sparganura), SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD Docimastes ensifer (now: Ensifera ensifera), BUFF-TAILED SICKLEBILL Eutoxeres condamini, DOT-EARED COQUETTE Lophornis gouldii, Ornismya petasophora, HOODED VISORBEARER Augastes lumachellus, Hylocharis stokesii, and BOOTED ROCKETTAIL Steganura underwoodi (now: Ocreatus underwoodii).
Available at redbubble.com.
Hooded Visorbearer (Augastes lumachella), male, family Trochilidae, endemic to Bahia, Brazil
photograph by Marcelo Maux
Hyacinth Visorbearer (Augastes scutatus), male, family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes, endemic to Brazil
photograph by @walisson_registros
Visorbearer (Augastes)
Which is the best bird?
Hooded visorbearer
Hyacinth visorbearer
Hooded Visorbearer (Augastes lumachella), male, family Trochilidae, endemic to Bahia, Brazil
photograph by Ciro Albano