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Antillean Crested Hummingbird
Antillean crested hummingbird in Morne Diablotins National Park, Dominica
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Orthorhyncus Lacépède, 1799
Species:	O. cristatus
Binomial name
Orthorhyncus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, north-east Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles

Hummingbirds are the only birds that are capable of forward and backwards flight as well as vertical flight allowing them to hover as long as they want. This species are crucial to the pollination of flowers and they fly from flower to flower looking for nectar. There are eighteen species of hummingbirds that are found on islands in the Caribbean. Some species are found on several different islands, while others are endemic to only one island. .

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird can be classified in the Kingdom Anamalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Aves, Order Apodiformes, and Family Trochilidae. .

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  Antillean crested hummingbird feeding at a flower in Dominica
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  Nest and eggs MHNT

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, semi-arid forests and heavily degraded former forest.

Classifications

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird is a year-round resident throughout the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands, and in Puerto Rico, although the bird’s range seems to be expanding.

The species has a very small range but it is still not believed to be approaching the thresholds of vulnerability. Because it is not within the vulnerable threshold, researchers evaluate it as an “Animal of Least Concern.”

Characteristics

As it is shown through its name, the Antillean Crested Hummingbird is one of the only species of hummingbirds that possess a crest.

The male Antillean Crested Hummingbird is green on the head and back, black underneath and on its tail, and has a green and blue crest. The female Antillean Crested Hummingbird is also green on its head and back, but is white or grayish underneath. The female also has white tips on the tail feathers, which is what makes the bird commonly referred as similar to the Blue-Headed Hummingbird (Cyanophaia bicolor).

The Antillean Crested Hummingbird is commonly 3.5 inches long making it one of the smaller species that lives in the Caribbean. This bird has also been recorded as a vagrant species in Florida, USA.

Nesting and Reproduction

The female Antillean Crested Hummingbird works alone to build a small nest to care for their young. The nests are commonly made out of fine fibers and coated on the outside with spider webs.

The female Antillean Crested Hummingbird alone cares for the baby hummingbirds. The females first lay typically two elongated eggs. She then incubates them once they are both laid so that they hatch at the same time, making the workload for the mother easier. The mother then stays with the eggs in the nest to keep them at the correct temperature for development. When the chicks hatch, they are both blind and feather-less. Throughout their development, the mother brings nectar and insects to the chicks. The chicks stay in the nest for about 22 days after hatching, and spend a day or two on the edge flexing their wings before they finally leave the nest.