Great Sapphirewing, Pterophanes cyanopterus
VICKSBURG, MISS. — Today’s Ecuador feature highlights the Great Sapphirewings we encountered at Yanacocha Reserve near Quito.
At 6 inches long (or more than seven if you include its bill), the Great Sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanopterus) is one of the largest hummingbirds in the world. It is larger than all of the other hummingbirds in its habitat and many other species as well, including flowerpiercers, conebills, and chat-tyrants.
The sapphirewing’s scientific name, Pterophanes cyanopterus, is derived from Greek words combined to mean “bright wing” and “blue wing.”
Pinkish-brown underparts identify this bird as a female. When sapphirewings hover, their wingbeats are so slow that they look like large moths fluttering.
This post is part of a series on Ecuador and was included in Bird Photography Weekly #75.
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Wonderful photos of the sapphirewings. They are very colorful and pretty birds.
Lovely shots! Thank you for taking us to a place we can only dream about. :-)
Beautiful birds and lovely photos.
…what a gorgeous hummingbird. He really is exquisite. We get Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and I fall in love with them every time I see one. I can only imagine what I’d do if I would get to see these fellows on a regular basis. Just beautiful…
Great pics!! I’ve never seen those, but hopefully will someday :)
Not easy to captured this fast moving bird. The 1st is my pick.
What a magnificent beauty! Your photos really do them justice.
This was one of the few species I saw on a quick stop off in Quito a few years back. A truly great bird.
What an excellent hummer, they’re so hard to get photos of. you got some great shots of this guy!
Wow David, I can’t imagine what one of those Great Sapphirewing Hummers sounds like when it hovers. What a beauty he is. And the female, I think, even more beautiful with the pinkish-brown to set off the blue and green. Very impressive.
Oh wow, she really is a little jewel! Just beautiful, great shots!
Nice photos, once again I think I need to get to Ecuador!
Your photos sufficiently intrigued me to look up my list from EC. I can’t believe I didn’t remember if I saw one. In 2007 I saw one at Yanacocha. I’m going back for my 3rd trip to EC in April. This time focusing on just the southern part of the country. Ecuador=Tons of birds+easy to get around.
Great pictures! I wish I had these guys in my backyard instead of the usual ruby throats. Should I be using different feeders to attract more species. I have two smaller feeders right now, but was thinking of getting this hummingbird feeder. Any suggestions?