Crimson Topaz

The Crimson Topaz (Topaza pella) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is a resident (non-migratory) South American hummingbird that occurs naturally in Amazonian Brazil to the south of the Amazon river, in southern Venezuela, and the Guianas. This charming hummingbird is one of the birds of the Amazon with stunning rich feathers, a glittering green throat, and scythe-like tail streamers. Both have a bill that is straight to slightly bent. The male's head, face, and neck sides are all velvety black in color. On the upper tail coverts, its back is iridescent in shades of scarlet to gold. Two of the outside, chestnut tail feathers are extended and crossed. The central tail feathers are bronzy green. The underparts are bright red, and the throat is a golden green color with a black ring around it.

The crimson topaz's song is an "irregular series of chattering 'chip' notes given almost continually (other than breaks to feed) throughout the day". It often sings from a perch in the canopy and may make short flights out and back to the same perch between songs. Even though the crimson topaz's population has not been counted and is thought to be declining, the IUCN has classified it as being of Least Concern. It is regarded as rare to locally frequent, however, because of its treetop habits, there may be an undercount.