The Swallow-tailed Hummingbird is a large, spectacular denizen of open savanna-like vegetation in the southern and northeastern tropics of South America. It is easily recognizable as a large violet and green hummingbird with an impressive long, deeply forked tail. It is readily seen in defense of dense nectar resources such as those found on flowering trees, but it will also feed on insects in the air. It is divided into five subspecies, four of which occur in the southern disjunct portion of the specie’s range and often intergrade.
