Photo: Alastair Rae / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Mexican Sheartail
Doricha eliza
Mexican Sheartail (Doricha eliza) — Hummingbirds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Mexican Sheartail (Doricha eliza) is a member of the Trochilidae family found in Central America & Caribbean. Adults weigh 2.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Apodiformes
- Family Trochilidae Hummingbirds
- Genus Doricha
- Species eliza
Quick facts
- Weight
- 2.5 g
- Diet
- Nectar-feeders
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Mexican Sheartail is a nectarivore — it feeds mainly on nectar.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Mexican Sheartail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Mexican Sheartail (Doricha eliza) belongs to the Trochilidae family of the order Apodiformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean. Its distribution covers MA se Mexico.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 2.5 g, with a wing length of about 3.8 cm and a tail of around 3.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 2,908 km² — a relatively restricted global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Mexican Sheartail?
The Mexican Sheartail is a very small bird that weighs around 2.5 g.
Where does the Mexican Sheartail live?
The Mexican Sheartail is found across Central America & Caribbean with a range covering MA se Mexico, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Mexican Sheartail belong to?
The Mexican Sheartail (Doricha eliza) belongs to the Trochilidae family, in the order Apodiformes.
What does the Mexican Sheartail eat?
The Mexican Sheartail is a nectarivore — it feeds mainly on nectar.
Does the Mexican Sheartail migrate?
The Mexican Sheartail is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Mexican Sheartail endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Mexican Sheartail make?
1 real field recording of the Mexican Sheartail — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Mexican Sheartail's range?
The Mexican Sheartail has a mapped global range of about 2,908 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Hummingbird Feeders
How to choose a hummingbird feeder — the two main styles compared, the right sugar-water mix, and how to keep it clean so the birds stay safe. A decision framework with the hummingbird species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Trochilidae
A field guide to the Trochilidae family — 366 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.