Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

The snowy-bellied hummingbird is 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in) long. Males weigh 5 to 5.4 g (0.18 to 0.19 oz) and females 4.3 to 5.2 g (0.15 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a straight blackish bill whose mandible has a reddish base. Adult males of the nominate subspecies S. e. edward have bronze-green upperparts that are especially coppery in the back and rump. Their tail is bronze to coppery and sometimes has a purple sheen. Their throat and chest are glittering golden green, the belly has a V-shaped white center, and the undertail coverts are rufous. Adult females are similar to males but with a less intense green on their upperparts, a more whitish throat and undertail coverts, and light green tips on the outer tail feathers. Subspecies S. e. niveoventer is slightly larger than the nominate and its tail is bluish black to purplish black. S. e. collata has less contrast between the green and copper of the back than the nominate and brownish undertail coverts. S. e. margaritarum has paler undertail coverts than the nominate and a bronze to bronze-green tail.

The subspecies of snowy-bellied hummingbird are found thus:

S. e. niveoventer, from southwestern Costa Rica into western and central Panama including Coiba Island S. e. edward, Panama from the Canal Zone east into Darién Province with at least one record in northwestern Colombia's Chocó Department S. e. collata, central Panama S. e. margaritarum, Panama: southwestern Darién, the Pearl Islands, and other islands in the Gulf of Panama The snowy-bellied hummingbird inhabits different landscapes across its distribution. In Costa Rica and western Panama it favors semi-open areas such as savanna, scrublands with scattered trees, edges and clearings of primary forest, secondary forest, coffee plantations, and gardens. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). S. e. collata inhabits fields with low herbs and bushes at elevations between 500 and 850 m (1,600 and 2,800 ft). On islands, S. e. margaritarum inhabits semi-open to open landscapes like abandoned fields and also mangroves; on the mainland it is found in rainforest. In elevation it ranges between sea level and 700 m (2,300 ft).

The snowy-bellied hummingbird forages for nectar at a wide variety of native and introduced plants, shrubs, and trees. It usually feeds between about 3 and 6 m (10 and 20 ft) of the ground. It sometimes defends feeding territories. In addition to nectar, it feeds on small arthropods captured by hawking from a perch and by gleaning from foliage.