White Necked Jacobin

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Canopy Tower, Panama, April 2010

Bird name: White Necked Jacobin
Latin: Florisuga mellivora
Other: Beija-flor-azul-de-rabo-branco (Br)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Mexico to Brazil

The White-necked Jacobin is an attractive hummingbird, a frequent visitor to the feeders at the Canopy Tower, in central Panama, when I visited in April.

The male is easily identifiable by its white back-of-neck, deep-blue head and neck, well-defined white belly and tail feathers, which are tipped dark. Back is green.

Females (below) are more tricky with a scaled neck and chest - the feathers are bordered white - white vent and diagnostic blue-and-white crissum (under tail).

Some individuals had some white on the back, maybe moulting?










Photo directly above shows male White-necked Jacobin on left and probable Blue-chested Hummingbird on right.