"Emerald-Crested Hummingflit" by T A O Crauford

The emerald-crested brilliant (Lampornis emeraldae) is a medium-sized hummingflit of about 4.5 inches long and 12 grams in weight. They are an open meadow species that, like all hummingflits, feeds on nectar and insects.

Their wings are relatively long and pointed, with short arms and forearms but long fingers. They fly with a unique method of rotating the entire wing, with little or no flexing of the wrist or hand joints. The hummingflit is unique among dragons for having long, flexible cartiligous tendons extending from the elbow and two areas along the humerous, as well as not having the wing membrane attached to the upper part if the hind leg.

Like most prairie hummingflits, a courting male emerald-crested brilliant extends its gold colored wings and rotates them in the sunlight to warn other males away, a behavior called "flashing", as shown here with his current mate. Also like most hummingflits, pairs are not monogamous. Unlike most other hummingflits, however, the emerald-crested brilliant is one of three species that has a cartiligous crest, which is useful for identification in the field.

A wee dragon beastie and his current mate that I created after recieving a hummingbird calendar for Christmas one year. Then I inserted them into a friend's storyline because they were just too fantastic not to. I have stores of these little terrors, on paper and buzzing about my head. And like hummingbirds, these ferocious beasts have enough sass for ten large dragons.