Comprehensive Description

The Purple-throated Carib (Eulampis jugularis) is a large, dark hummingbird with a purplish-red throat and breast, greenish-blue tail, emerald-green wings, and a down-curved bill. Although this bird may sometimes appear entirely dark in the field, the green wings are usually conspicuous. The bill of the female is longer and more sharply downcurved than that of the male (Temeles et al. 2000). The immature plumage has the throat and chest orange with red speckles. The Purple-throated Carib is found only on certain islands in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean, where it can be common. It is found in mountain forests and clearings, is often seen in banana plantations, and occurs occasionally at lower elevations. (Bond 1993; Schuchmann 1999; Raffaele et al. 2003)