The Copper-rumped Hummingbird was a common sight on our T-T trip, but I never did get a good photo of the copper rump! They are present on both Trinidad and Tobago, with a different subspecies on each island. Male and female are similar. Color is coppery-green on the back and more coppery-brown toward the rump, with royal blue in the wings. The tail is slightly notched and the bill shows pink or reddish color in the lower mandible. When viewed from the front the iridescent green from neck to belly is stunning. There are a few other hummers on T-T with similar striking green underparts, including the Blue-chinned Saphire (rare on Tobago), Blue-tailed Emerald (Trinidad only) and the White-tailed Sabrewing (Tobago only).
Most authorities place the Copper-rumped in the genus Amazilla, which is usually divided into 3 groups. The Copper-rumped is in the Saucerottia group with 6 other species. Clements and others briefly had the Copper-rumped in the genus Saucerottia, but it got lumped back with the Amazillas, all 29 of them! Now for that smashing frontal view:
And one last shot of this common but beautiful hummer. Note the pink/orange lower mandible and the dark blue tail.
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