Hummingbirds of Nicaragua

Map showing the location of Nicaragua in Central America

Nicaragua is nation known for its dramatic lakes, volcanoes and beaches, and is a popular tourist destination for hiking, exploring historical sites, photography, and ... hummingbirds!

About Nicaragua

The Republic of Nicaragua is located in Central America, south of Honduras, and north of Costa Rica. The country is also bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. The population of the country is over 6,000,000 residents, and its capital and largest city is Managua.

Nicaragua has three distinct geographical regions: the Pacific lowlands, the Amerrisque Mountains (North-central highlands), and the Mosquito Coast (Atlantic lowlands/Caribbean lowlands). On the Pacific side of Nicaragua are the two largest freshwater lakes in Central America, Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua.

The country's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contribute to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot. Nearly 20% of Nicaragua is designated as protected areas such as national parks, biological reserves and nature reserves.

Visitors to Nicaragua will enjoy exploring its 248 species of amphibians and reptiles, 183 species of mammals, 705 bird species, 640 fish species, and 5,800 species of plants.

Make plans for your next hummingbird tour in Nicaragua!

Map of Nicaragua

Map courtesy of www.FreeWorldMaps.net

 

Hummingbird Species in Nicaragua

Hummingbirds exist only in the Western Hemisphere, with nearly half of the species living in the "equatorial belt," between 10 degrees north and south of the equator. The hummingbird family is large, with 366 species and 112 genera, mostly south of the United States, and many in Guatemala.

Hummingbirds comprise the family Trochilidae, among the smallest of birds, with most species measuring in the 3"-5" range.

 

Nicaragua is home to about 34 species of hummingbirds, listed below. Many hummingbirds in Nicaragua do not migrate. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a few others do migrate north into the United States in warmer months.

Azure-crowned Hummingbird Band-tailed Barbthroat Hummingbird Black-crested Coquette Hummingbird Blue-tailed Hummingbird Blue-throated Goldentail Hummingbird Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer Hummingbird Bronzy Hermit Hummingbird Brown Violet-ear Hummingbird Cinnamon Hummingbird Emerald-chinned Hummingbird Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird Green-breasted Mountain-gem Hummingbird Green Violet-ear Hummingbird Long-billed Starthroat Hummingbird Plain-capped Starthroat Hummingbird Purple-throated Mountain-gem Hummingbird Purple-crowned Fairy Hummingbird

Rivoli's Hummingbird Ruby-throated Hummingbird Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Scaly-breasted Hummingbird Snowcap Hummingbird Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird Sparkling-throated Hummingbird Steely-vented Hummingbird Stripe-tailed Hermit Hummingbird Stripe-throated Hermit Hummingbird Violet-crowned Woodnymph Hummingbird Violet-headed Hummingbird Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird Western Long-tailed Hermit Hummingbird White-bellied Emerald Hummingbird White-eared Hummingbird White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird

 

Photo Highlights of Hummingbirds Found in Nicaragua

Purple-throated Mountain Gem	Violet Sabrewing	Cinnamon
Green-breasted Mango	White-necked Jacobin	Green Violet-ear
Ruby-throated	Purple-crowned Fairy	Stripe-throated
White-eared	Rivoli's	Plain-capped Starthroat
	Rufous-tailed
Special thanks go out to the great nature photographers Alan Schmierer and Rolf Riethof for sharing many of their beautiful public-domain photographs of hummingbirds on this website via Flickr.

 

Nicaragua Travel & Tourism Resources

• Nicaragua Travel Guide at TripAdvisor: Hotels, Restaurants, Things to Do
• Visit Nicaragua website
• Visit Nicaragua on Facebook
• Nicaragua Travel at Lonely Planet
• Nicaragua at Travel & Leisure
• Nicaragua Travel at Kayak