Gould's Jewelfront

About the Gould's Jewelfront

Gould's jewelfront or Gould's brilliant (Heliodoxa aurescens) is a medium-sized hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in tropical and equatorial South America. This is an uncommon species with an unusually large range compared to the other members of Heliodoxa.

The common name commemorates the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould (1804–1881). H.aurescens ranges in size from 11 to 12 cm, with an average weight of about 6.2 g. This is a sexually dimorphic species with minor differences in plumage and bill lengths between sexes. Both sexes have a narrow frontlet of glittering purplish-blue which is underdeveloped in immature individuals. The bill, black to dark coloured is "unspecialised" being relatively short and straight; while the irises are brown and tarsus black. The tail is forked with the central pair of feathers bronze-green while the other tail feathers have chestnut edges and bronze-green tips. Undertail coverts are a deep fawn colour and wings are purplish-brown. It is noted that there is some variation in plumage for this species, but these differences do not relate to location and is minimal when considering the wide range.

Specimens... Wikipedia →