Violet Sabrewing

The violet sabrewing is the largest hummingbird of Mexico and Central America. It is 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 9 to 12 g (0.32 to 0.42 oz). Both sexes have a black bill, though those of subspecies C. h. mellitus are longer than the nominate's. Males of the nominate subspecies have a dusky crown with a bluish green gloss. Their nape and upper back, face, and underparts are metallic violet blue that is somewhat bluer on the belly. Their lower back and uppertail coverts are metallic green. Their central tail feathers are bluish green to bluish black and the rest blackish with wide white tips. Females have a dusky crown and metallic green to bronze green upperparts with a more bluish green rump. They have a violet blue throat. Their underparts are mostly gray with a whiter belly and metallic green spots along the sides and green undertail coverts. Their central tail feathers are bluish green and the rest blacker with wide white tips. Males of subspecies C. h. mellitus have more green on their upper parts than the nominate and almost entirely violet underparts with no blue on the belly. Female's upper-parts have a coppery tinge and their throat is violet.

The nominate subspecies of violet sabrewing is found from the Mexican states of Guerrero and Veracruz intermittently south through Guatemala, southern Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador into northern Nicaragua. Subspecies C. h. mellitus is found most of the length of Costa Rica into western Panama. The species inhabits the edges and interior of humid evergreen montane forest and mature secondary forest, banana plantations, and gardens. In Mexico, it generally ranges in elevation between 500 and 2,000 m (1,600 and 6,600 ft) but occurs as high as 2,500 m (8,200 ft). In Costa Rica, it ranges between 1,500 and 2,400 m (4,900 and 7,900 ft).

The violet sabrewing feeds on nectar primarily by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. Males occasionally defend patches of flowers and are dominant over other hummingbirds. The species forages mostly in the understory, often on Heliconia, banana (Musa), Cephalism, and Palic urea though it visits others as well. It frequents nectar (sugar water) feeders and chases other hummingbirds from them. In addition to nectar, violet sabrewings also eat arthropods gleaned from foliage and spiderwebs.