About Lampornis hemileucus (Salvin, 1865)
The white-bellied mountaingem, scientifically named Lampornis hemileucus (Salvin, 1865), measures 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long. Males weigh approximately 6.2 g (0.22 oz), while females weigh 5.1 g (0.18 oz). Both sexes share the same physical traits: a medium-length black bill, a long white stripe behind the eye, and pinkish feet. For adult males, the face and crown are glittering green. Most of the rest of the upperparts are bronzy green, and the uppertail coverts are bronzy. The tail is also bronzy, with dusky gray bands near the end of the outer feathers. Adult males have a blue-violet gorget, and the rest of their underparts are white with green speckles along the sides. Adult females are similar in appearance to males, but their face and crown are less glittering, and their throat is white with green speckles. Juveniles of both sexes have rusty fringes on their green feathers; juvenile males have a dull bronze gorget. The white-bellied mountaingem is distributed on the Caribbean slope from north-central Costa Rica, extending south and east into western Panama as far as Veraguas Province. It also occurs locally on the Pacific slope in Panama. This species inhabits the canopy of cool, very wet subtropical forest. It can also be found at the shrub level at forest edges, and within forest gaps and clearings. It mostly avoids secondary forest and other semi-open landscapes.
