Stephanoxis loddigesii
Taken as a whole, the hummingbirds are undoubtedly one of the most stunning families of birds. However, even among this distinguished group, the Purple-crowned Plovercrest of South America’s Atlantic Forest stands out as one of the most magnificent. The upperparts of the male are shining yellow-green, and a deep, dark purple-blue patch covers most of his throat, breast, and belly. His namesake crown forms a tall, pointed crest, often longer than his beak and glittering with iridescent purples and blues. And he makes the most of this distinctive feature, raising his crest above his head during courtship and in aggressive interactions with rival males.
The Purple-crowned Plovercrest is a lekking species, meaning that males gather in specific areas known as leks to display, all singing and flaunting their fantastic plumage simultaneously in a bid to attract females. It’s convenient for females, too, as they know just where to go to compare potential mates and make decisions. While on the lek, males perch in an obvious location and sing constantly, while also defending a small territory from their neighbors. If a male finds an interloper perched on his turf, he may perform a display where he slowly circles the perched intruder, facing him all the while with crest raised and bill pointed accusingly toward his rival. Oddly, some plovercrests will also perform this display alone, directing their attention toward an empty perch. This could be a form of practice, but at present, the function of this confounding behavior is unknown.
These little beauties, stunning as they are, have not yet received their fair due of scientific attention. Only separated in 2014 from the closely related Green-crowned Plovercrest, very little research has focused explicitly on either of these unique hummingbird species. As such, much about the lives of these birds remains a mystery.
The conservation status of the Purple-crowned Plovercrest is largely unknown. Researchers have yet to identify key threats, the population trend, and the overall population size of this species. However, this hummingbird seems to be adaptable to human-modified environments such as farmland if adequate forest or scrub patches are left. However, more extensive development may push these birds out of otherwise suitable habitat.
While some populations of the Purple-crowned Plovercrest live in protected areas, others are vulnerable to ongoing deforestation. The Atlantic Forest, to which this species is endemic, has been reduced to less than 24 percent of its former size in the 500 years since colonization. Today, this important biome and global biodiversity hotspot is at risk from urbanization, agricultural expansion, and illegal logging.
Birds like the marvellous Purple-crowned Plovercrest and other incredible hummingbirds need our help to overcome the threats they face. At ABC, we’re inspired by the wonder of birds and driven by our responsibility to find solutions to meet their greatest challenges. With science as our foundation, and with inclusion and partnership at the heart of all we do, we take bold action for birds across the Americas.
Habitat is the foundation for birds’ survival. Working with dozens of partners and local communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, ABC supports a growing network of more than 130 protected areas in over a dozen countries, totaling more than 1.3 million acres. Upwards of 3,000 bird species, including the Purple-crowned Plovercrest, are protected by an ABC-supported reserve — that’s nearly one-third of the world’s birdlife. These reserves conserve some of the planet’s most fragile and imperiled ecosystems, including portions of the threatened Atlantic Forest.
The male Purple-crowned Plovercrest is stunning and distinctive, with his towering crest of iridescent purple and blue rising from his bill and face to a sharp peak well above the top of his head. The rest of his head as well as the back and most of the tail are an iridescent lime green, contrasting with the dusky gray to off-white of the underparts. A large, broad patch of blackish purple-blue runs from his throat to his belly. The female Purple-crowned Plovercrest is less showy, lacking the male’s purple crest and the dark blue coloring on the underparts. She is bright green above and grayish white below. Both sexes have a prominent white spot just behind the eye and white tips to the two outermost tail feathers.
Male Purple-crowned Plovercrests are extremely vocal at lek sites, repeating their simple songs once or more each second for hours on end. The song is sharp, forceful, high-pitched, and slightly buzzy, almost sneeze-like. Other than this song, however, the sounds produced by this species are poorly understood and have not been formally described.
Credit: Joost van Bruggen, XC1050542. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1050542.
The Purple-crowned Plovercrest lives in dense, low-growing vegetation in the South American Atlantic Forest.
Specific Area
Eastern central South America
Range Detail
The Purple-crowned Plovercrest has a somewhat limited range in the southern portion of the South American Atlantic Forest, from eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina to much of southeastern Brazil.
Did you know?
Purple-crowned Plovercrests are important pollinators of flowering plants. In some areas, these birds may be the most important pollinators for certain plants, which have evolved relatively short flower tubes that may be adapted for pollination by short-billed hummingbirds like the plovercrest. In one study, researchers termed this group of flowers the “Stephanoxis subset.”
Despite its striking appearance and conspicuous lekking behavior, the Purple-crowned Plovercrest has not been the subject of much dedicated study. As such, its life history is poorly known, and many details are not documented in the literature.
Like other hummingbirds, the Purple-crowned Plovercrest relies on nectar and insects for its food. These birds drink the nectar of a range of flowers, including native trees, shrubs, and bromeliads, as well as introduced species such as eucalyptus. This species has also been documented eating honeydew produced by scale insects.
Male Purple-crowned Plovercrests gather on leks (communal display areas) to show off their striking plumage and to sing and perform courtship behaviors in order to attract the attention of females. A lekking male perches in a conspicuous location, sings constantly, and may defend his small territory by circling in on an interloper, raising his crest, and keeping his bill pointed at the intruder. Specific lek or courtship displays have not been described in the peer-reviewed literature, but males sing persistently while on the lek.
As is typical for lekking species, and hummingbirds in general, males provide no parental care, nor do they spend any time near the female after copulating. The female builds an open cup nest of soft plant fibers, moss, and leaves, and decorates the outside with lichen.
The female lays two white eggs, which she incubates for about two weeks. Males are not involved in rearing the young.
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