A tiny, thumb-sized bird, the Volcano Hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) gets its name from its preferred habitat: the high-altitude, open, brushy areas and páramo grasslands on the slopes of volcanoes in Costa Rica and Panama. Selasphorus is derived from the Greek words selas meaning light or flame, and phoros means bearing, referring to the male's brilliant, iridescent, flame-coloured throat patch, or gorget. Flammula is a Latin word meaning little flame. Endemic to the Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca (Costa Rica) and into western Panama, it prefers windswept slopes, second growth, and utilises flowers like Salvia, Fuchsia, and Rubus for nectar, with distinct subspecies on the Irazú, Poás, Talamanca, and Barú volcanoes.
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