Oasis Hummingbird

About the Oasis Hummingbird

The oasis hummingbird (Rhodopis vesper) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is the only species placed in the genus Rhodopis. It is found in Chile and Peru

The oasis hummingbird has three subspecies, the nominate R. v. vesper, R. v. koepckeae, and R. v. atacamensis. The last was at one time treated as a separate species, but since the mid twentieth century has had its current status.

The oasis hummingbird is 11 to 13.5 cm (4.3 to 5.3 in) long and weighs about 4 g (0.14 oz). Both sexes have a long, black, decurved bill. The nominate subspecies is larger and has a longer and stouter bill than the other two, but the three are otherwise alike. Both sexes have olive green upperparts with a cinnamon rump and uppertail coverts. Females have a small white dot behind the eye and males a longer white stripe. Males have an iridescent gorget that ranges from rosy violet to purple with turquoise to the rear. Their underparts are dull white with a dull green wash on the flanks. The tail is deeply forked; its central feathers are grayish olive and the rest purplish brown. Females do... Wikipedia →