White-eared Hummingbird

Overview
White-eared Hummingbird: Medium hummingbird, iridescent green upperparts and throat, metallic violet head, black mask, white stripe with lower black border behind eye, and white belly. Bill is red with black tip. Feeds primarily on nectar. Direct, hovering flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat
White-eared Hummingbird: Irregular summer visitor to extreme southeastern Arizona; rare in New Mexico and Texas. Frequents scrub habitat in oak and pine forests.

The White-eared Hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird found mainly in pine oak forests. The preferred breeding habitat of this species is found in northern Mexico, New Mexico, Texas, Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, Cordillera Neovolcanican and southern Mexico and Nicaragua. Some are occasionally seen in the White Mountains, Mogollon Rim, Madrean sky islands, southern and western New Mexico and west Texas. Typical diets of the White-eared Hummingbird consist of nectar of flowers and tree buds via the long tongue, or insects caught during flight on the wings. The current conservation rating for the White-eared Hummingbird is Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
The female White-eared Hummingbird lays 2 white eggs that measure 0.5 inches in length. A group of hummingbirds has many collective nouns, including a “bouquet", "glittering", "hover", "shimmer", and "tune” of hummingbirds.