Birdfinding.info ⇒ This charming sprite is a familiar sight on the grounds of seaside resorts in the Virgin Islands and across most of the Lesser Antilles. On Puerto Rico, it is mostly limited to the eastern coastal lowlands west to San Juan on the north coast and to Guayama on the south coast, but is found at least occasionally west to Mayagüez. Traditionally reliable sites include Fajardo, Humacao Nature Reserve, and Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird
Orthorhyncus cristatus
Endemic to islands of the eastern Caribbean, from Puerto Rico east and south to Barbados and Grenada. Occurs mainly in scrub, gardens, and woodland edge; locally also in forest on some islands.
The four recognized subspecies are potentially distinct forms:
“Antillean Crested Hummingbird” (exilis): eastern Puerto Rico eastward through the Virgin Islands, and south through the Lesser Antilles to St. Lucia.
“St. Vincent Crested Hummingbird” (ornatus): St. Vincent.
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird” (emigrans): Grenada and the Grenadines.
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird” (cristatus): Barbados.
Identification
A tiny hummingbird with a straight, needle-like bill and a broad, rounded tail.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest raised. (Corinthe, Gros Islet, St. Lucia; February 21, 2016.) © Alain Tremblay
The male is uniquely adorned with a tall, peaked crest that can be raised to be bushy and spiky like a bottlebrush or flattened into a shield.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest flattened. (St. Martin; December 22, 2016.) © Christian Lunding
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest raised. (St. Martin, March 19, 2017.) © Chuck Courson
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest raised. (St. Martin; March 22, 2017.) © Chris de Visser
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest raised. (Humacao Nature Reserve, Puerto Rico; May 6, 2009.) © Ernesto Burgos
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest raised. (Martinique; April 8, 2013.) © Daniel Berveiller
When flattened and viewed from the front, the shield gleams with striking iridescence in variable colors.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male with crest flattened showing typically green or turquoise shield. (Gros Islet, St. Lucia; March 16, 2019.) © Marc Regnier
On the widespread exilis, the shield is typically green or turquoise, sometimes mixed with bronze or blue.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mostly green shield. (St. Peter Mountain, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; July 13, 2013.) © Tom Kaestner
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing turquoise shield. (Praslin, St. Lucia; April 14, 2014.) © Paul Varney
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing bluish crest. (Stonyhill, St. Kitts, August 12, 2015.) © Martin Holgersson
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing turquoise shield. (St. John’s, Antigua, April 16, 2019.) © Warren Lynn
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mixed bronze and turquoise shield. (Monte Pirata, Vieques; March 29, 2015.) © Alec Hopping
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mixed bronze and turquoise shield. (Anse Mamin Plantation, St. Lucia; March 15, 2017.) © Steve Buckingham
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing green and turquoise shield. (Bas Vent, Guadeloupe; January 12, 2017.) © st3ffo
The southern subspecies are distinguished by the coloration of their crests: mostly blue on St. Vincent (ornatus); mostly violet on Grenada and the Grenadines (emigrans); and bicolored green below and violet or indigo above on Barbados (cristatus).
“St. Vincent Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. ornatus, male showing mostly blue crest. (Kingstown Botanical Gardens, Kingstown, St. Vincent; June 14, 2017.) © Josep del Hoyo
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing bicolored green and violet crest. (Barbados; October 31, 2010.) © Kevin B. Agar
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. emigrans, male showing bicolored blue and violet crest. (St. George’s, Grenada; May 15, 2015.) © George Foster
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. emigrans, male showing violet crest and whitish throat. (St. George’s, Grenada; May 15, 2015.) © George Foster
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing bicolored green and violet crest. (Maxwell Beach, Barbados; February 26, 2017.) © George Foster
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing bicolored gold and blue crest. (Maxwell Beach, Barbados; February 26, 2017.) © George Foster
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing bicolored blue and violet crest. (Bentanjia, Barbados; February 2, 2017.) © Magne Flaten
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. emigrans, male showing blackish underparts and whitish throat. (Mount Moritz Land Settlement, St. George, Grenada; February 6, 2015.) © Arlene Ripley
Males of all forms typically have mostly blackish or dark gray underparts, including the face—but the throat is usually paler, and varies from blackish to whitish. Some males are paler below.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mostly dark gray underparts—note the breadth of the tail when fully spread. (Petite Anse, Martinique; January 14, 2016.) © Annika Lindqvist
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing paler-than-average underparts. (St. John’s, Antigua, April 16, 2019.) © Warren Lynn
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mostly dark gray underparts—note the breadth of the tail when fully spread. (Petite Anse, Martinique; January 14, 2016.) © Annika Lindqvist
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mostly blackish underparts. (Petit Bourg, Guadeloupe; November 18, 2014.) © Paradise Birding
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing pale throat. (Oistins, Barbados; March 1, 2019.) © Brian Yurasits
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing typical underparts coloration with paler throat. (Marin, Martinique; January 27, 2011.) © Philippe Boissel
The male’s upperparts are greenish overall: often with coppery tones on the back, but sometimes deep green or bluish.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing green and coppery upperparts. (Dominica; January 7, 2014.) © Zeno Ferguson
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing mostly coppery upperparts. (Timothy Beach, St. Kitts; March 12, 2018.) © Steven Mlodinow
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing bluish-green upperparts. (Nail Bay, Virgin Gorda; June 4, 2015.) © David Turko
Chestnut Munia, L. a. formosana, with brown hood and pale tail. (Paranaque City, Manila, Philippines; January 20, 2018.) © George Inocencio
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing multicolored upperparts. (Bas Vent, Guadeloupe; January 12, 2017.) © st3ffo
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing all-green upperparts. (Maxwell Beach, Barbados; February 28, 2017.) © George Foster
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing green and coppery upperparts. (Barbados; September 4, 2010.) © Kevin B. Agar
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male taking nectar from the base of a flower, showing dark green and bluish upperparts. (Speightstown, Barbados; February 5, 2014.) © Tim Bartlett
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, male showing deep green upperparts. (Marigot Bay, St. Lucia; June 30, 2016.) © Barbara Tompkins
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, male showing dark green upperparts. (St. James, Barbados; May 15, 2019.) © Grete Pasch
Females have mostly greenish upperparts, whitish or grayish underparts, and a rounded tail with white tips on the outer feathers.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, female. (Aguirre State Forest, Puerto Rico; December 2, 2013.) © Ernesto Burgos
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. emigrans, female. (Mount Hartman National Park, Grenada; March 15, 2015.) © Alan Van Norman
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, female. (St. Peter, Antigua; March 31, 2009.) © James Holmes
“Grenada Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. emigrans, female showing white-tipped tail. (St. Andrew, Grenada; January 17, 2018.) © Knut Hansen
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, female. (St. Joseph, Dominica; January 11, 2015.) © Jim Tietz
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, O. c. exilis, female. (St. Lucia; January 4, 2009.) © Simon Kirby
“Barbados Crested Hummingbird,” O. c. cristatus, female showing white-tipped tail. (Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Christ Church, Barbados; March 1, 2018.) © Brian Sullivan
Antillean Crested Hummingbird, female showing white tips on outer tail feathers. (St. Kitts; March 10, 2018.) © Steven Mlodinow
Cf. Vervain Hummingbird. Female Antillean Crested is very similar to the female Vervain Hummingbird, which is slightly smaller. Female Vervain is plainer above, showing less contrast between the upperparts and underparts, and has a blacker tail. The two species do not occur together regularly, but Vervain has been recorded as a vagrant on Puerto Rico.
Notes
Polytypic species consisting four recognized subspecies that are potentially distinct forms.
References
eBird. 2019. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed August 16, 2019.)
Fogden, M., M. Taylor, and S.L. Williamson. 2014. Hummingbirds: A Life-size Guide to Every Species. HarperCollins, New York.
Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Schuchmann, K.L., and P. Boesman. 2019. Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus). In Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, eds.). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. https://www.hbw.com/node/55414. (Accessed August 16, 2019.)