For most Panamanians, a coquette is a graceful and beautiful girl full of live; therefore, it is not surprising for us that the name is used to designate this group of handsome hummingbirds that delight us. Along with my friend Osvaldo, I went some days ago with my two coquettes (Gloriela and Gabrielle) to the foothills of
Cerro Azul (just to the east of Panama City) to spend the afternoon comfortably seated on the terrace of
Birder's View, watching the hummingbird feeders.
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| Gabrielle and Gloriela at the feeders |
A swarm of hummingbirds buzzed around us, with White-necked Jacobins and Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds as the most numerous, but with other five species present too and even some other nectivores taking advantage of a free meal too.
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| Shining Honeycreeper |
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| Green Honeycreeper |
After a while, we noticed a bee-like hummingbird side-by-side at the feeders with the most common (and aggressive) species, standing against the bullying and harassment... a female
Rufous-crested Coquette.
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| female Rufous-crested Coquette |
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| female Rufous-crested Coquette |
Notice the orangish face and throat and, specially, the white rump band. Its paused flight was characteristic too. Eventually, we saw two female birds at the feeders... but Osvaldo warned us that an adult male was working the flowers in the backyard (not visiting the feeders). After a while, a beautiful male Rufous-crested Coquette pop-up from behind the flowers.
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| male Rufous-crested Coquette |
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| male Rufous-crested Coquette |
What an amazing day... three Rufous-crested Coquettes in the same backyard! And what a backyard by the way... you can see hundreds and hundreds of acres of pristine humid forest (part of the
Chagres National Park) in the background of the next photo featuring again my two coquettes.
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| Gloriela and Gabrielle (with Chagres N.P. in the background) |
Good birding!
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