Racket-tipped Thorntail Discosura longicaudus Scientific name definitions

Once sharing the genus with several other species, the Racket-tailed Coquette is now frequently classified as the only species remaining in the genus Discosura. It often feeds in the canopy of mass-flowering trees and steals nectar from the territories of large hummingbirds. Consequently, large species often chase after Racket-tailed Coquettes. The elegant black rackets on the male’s long outer most tail feathers and the buffy band across the rump of both sexes help readily identify this hummingbird. Although threatened by deforestation and considered rare throughout its range, this species is not currently listed as globally threatened. Its favors riparian areas of humid forests and scrubby savannahs but much of its range is unprotected; this is particularly concerning since these hummingbirds do not adapt to areas which have been disturbed by humans.