Topaz (hummingbird)


The topazes are two species of hummingbirds in the genus Topaza. They are found in humid forests in the Amazon Basin. Males are by far the largest hummingbirds in their range – the giant hummingbird of the Andes is the only larger species in the family. Males have a total length of about, although this includes their elongated rectrices. They are very colourful, being mainly strongly iridescent golden and crimson with a black hood and a green throat. Females lack the elongated rectrices and have a mainly green plumage.
The genus Topaza contains two separate species, the Crimson topaz and the Fiery topaz.
It has been suggested that the fiery topaz should be considered a subspecies of the crimson topaz, but today all major authorities consider them as separate species.
ImageNameCommon nameDistribution
Topaza pella Linnaeus, 1758Crimson topazBrazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Topaza pyra Gould, 1846Fiery topazBrazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.