White-throated Daggerbill
Schistes albogularis
Fairly small hummingbird found on the west slope of the Andes from central Colombia to southwestern Ecuador. Both sexes mostly green with short, straight bill. Males have green throat and crown with purplish patches on neck sides and a bold broken white collar. Females have white throat. Inconspicuous; look for singles at flower patches in understory of foothill and subtropical forest and edge, from around 800-2,000 m.
Identification
The white-throated daggerbill is 8.6 to 9.3 cm (3.4 to 3.7 in) long and weighs 3.5 to 4.1 g (0.12 to 0.14 oz). It gets its name from the tip of its bill, which is very narrow and sharply pointed. Both sexes are generally green overall. Males have a shiny green forehead, violet-blue patches on the sides of the throat that can extend well up into the face, a white band across the upper chest, and a small white patch behind the eye. Females' foreheads are not shiny, the throat patches are smaller and mostly blue, and they have an unmarked white throat.
Taxonomy
The white-throated daggerbill has often been considered conspecific with what is now the only other member of its genus, Geoffroy's daggerbill (S. geoffroyi) under the name "wedge-billed hummingbird". The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society split them in June 2018 and the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the Clements taxonomy, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) followed suit. Later all of them except HBW adopted the "daggerbill" English name; HBW uses the name "western wedge-billed hummingbird". Some authors have suggested that the genus be merged into that of the visorbearers, Augastes. The white-throated daggerbill is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Schistes albogularis
- Authority
- Gould, 1852
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Schistes
Range and habitat
The white-throated daggerbill is found from the western Andes and the west slope of the Central Andes of Colombia south into western Ecuador. It inhabits the interior and edges of dense cloudforest, often near streams. In elevation it ranges between 800 and 2,000 m (2,600 and 6,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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