Breeding

There is little information on the reproductive biology of Violet-bellied Hummingbird. A nest with eggs is reported from Panama in January, and four nests in Panama from mid March to mid July contained nestlings. A nest with eggs is reported from Colombia in November (Darlington 1931). The nest is a typical hummingbird cup of plant down, and is placed 1.2-4.2 m above the ground (n = 5; Darlington 1931, Wetmore 1968, Willis and Eisenmann 1979). The clutch is two; the eggs are white and unmarked (Darlington 1931, Willis and Eisenmann 1979). The dimensions of the eggs are 13 x 8 mm (Darlington 1931). Only the female incubates; incubation lasts ca 15 days, and the nestling period is 20-22 days (Schuchmann 1999).