Frilled Coquette - Lophornis magnificus

Frilled Coquette (Lophornis magnificus)

Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil
March 2004

The Frilled Coquette is a Brazilian endemic and is reputed to be the smallest Brazilian hummingbird. It is distributed in eastern Brazil from Bahia to Santa Catarina. It is found in humid forest, secondary woodland and cerrado.

The male, seen here in the 1st photo, has a straight red bill with a black tip. It has a rufous crest and an iridescent green forehead and throat which in certain lights look black. The frill projects from the throat and consists of elongated white feathers with green tips. The base of the frill is rufous. In this first photo, the frill is flattened against the breast as the bird hovers.

The female, seen here in photos 2 and 3, lacks the crest and frill while the throat is rufous and the bill is darker. The under-tail is banded rufous and dark brown with pale rufous tips. Both sexes show the white band across the rump that typifies the Lophornis genus.

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