The Purple-throated Carib (Eulampis jugularis) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.
It breeds on Antigua, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Sint Eustatius. It has occurred as a vagrant in Barbados, Barbuda, Grenada and the Virgin Islands.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
The purple throated caribe is notable for the differences in the appearance of the sexes. The male is larger and stronger than the female and has a shorter straight beak. Her beak is curved and about 1/3 longer.
It has been reported that the male feeds on the Heliconia Caribaea flower while the female feeds on the Heliconia Bihai and that the male guarde the caribaea from other pollinators including the female because of the rich and plentiful nectar it contains. The female then resorts to the lesser nectar bearing Bihai. This information comes from Hummmingbirds: Magic in the Air, a coneflower production aired in the PBS program NATURE, but does not appear to be accurate.
Famous quotes containing the word carib:
“And deck the bananas in leaves
Plucked from the Carib trees,
Fibrous and dangling down,
Oozing cantankerous gum
Out of their purple maws....”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)