When we watch birds and try to photograph them we prefer to find them in good light, and of course sitting relatively still. I had few opportunities to see the Tufted Coquette on a perch, and in this case the male Coquette was illuminated by harsh back-lighting. These shots almost hit the "delete" pile, but I realized they show some features that I had missed when watching the bird flitting about.
There are 10 species of Coquettes, comprising the genus Lophornis. Six of them are said to have rufous crests. The first photo here shows the orange crest from the side, shining brightly. It also shows the amazing dark-tipped neck plumes, which I guess are the "tufts" referred to in the common name. The red bill is transluminated. The second shot showed me 2 features I had not noted when in the field, namely the bright green sheen of the throat and the rufous tail.
So how about the other 9 Coquettes? They include the White-crested, Short-crested, Festive, Rufous-crested, Dot-eared, Black-crested, Frilled, Peacock, and Spangled Coquettes, but you'll have to do quite a bit of traveling to find them all.
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