Green-crowned brilliant Jun 17, 2024

Green-crowned brilliant

Let"s celebrate the small heroes who help plants flourish! The green-crowned brilliant hummingbird in today"s image, also known as the green-fronted brilliant, inhabits Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. They usually feed in the middle and upper layers of the forest. Adult males of this striking species, belonging to the nominate subspecies, boast a mesmerising plumage: their heads and breasts shimmer in shades of green to blue-green, accentuated by a vivid, metallic violet-blue patch at their throats. These tiny jewels of the forest measure between 11 to 12 in length and tip the scales at a mere 8 - 9.5 grams. Their favourite nectar comes from the Marcgravia vines. Should we care? Absolutely! From fruits and veggies to nuts, chocolate or sugarcane, there are plenty of ingredients in our diet that are brought to us by these pollinators.

© adrian hepworth/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 4, 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Jul 15, 2025Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
Aug 16, 2024Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Aug 17, 2024Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal
Feb 27, 2025Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Apr 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, USA
Aug 18, 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
Aug 30, 2023Whale shark, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Sep 24, 2025Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, United States
Dec 21, 2024Ore Mountains, Saxony, Germany
Sep 10, 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
Dec 16, 2023Guild houses of Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Feb 12, 2025Marine iguanas, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Jun 1, 2025Barrier reef off Grande Terre, New Caledonia, France
Oct 9, 2024Aspens near Marble, Colorado, USA
Nov 29, 2023Schwerin Castle on Lake Schwerin, Germany
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Apr 26, 2025Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
Dec 4, 2025Cheetah in Maasai Mara
Oct 17, 2025Rock River Falls, Michigan
Nov 18, 2025Male hooded merganser
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Apr 7, 2024North American beaver, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA
Dec 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Mar 27, 2025Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Acropolis of Athens, Greece
Apr 10, 2024Burrowing owl chicks, Wyoming, USA
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week
Sep 30, 2024Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
Sep 2, 2023Allens hummingbird