Ecuadorian Piedtail
Phlogophilus hemileucurus
Fairly small hummingbird with a limited range in the foothills on the east slope of the Andes from southern Colombia to northern Peru. The broad white collar and extensive white in the tail are the most obvious field marks, otherwise it is green above and white below with a straight bill. Occasionally visits feeders, but is more likely to be found in the understory of forests in the foothills from around 900 to 1,300 m. Compare with female Booted Racket-tail and Rufous-vented Whitetip.
Identification
The Ecuadorian piedtail is 7.3 to 7.6 cm (2.9 to 3.0 in) long and weighs 2.2 to 3.7 g (0.078 to 0.13 oz). The adult male and female are alike. They have a short, straight, black bill with a yellowish base. Their crown is greenish brown and the rest of the upperparts grass green. They have a white spot behind the eye. The throat and breast are white with green spots with a white band separating them. The belly is whitish. The innermost pair of tail feathers are blue-green; the others are blue with white bases and broad white tips. Juveniles resemble the adults but their head and neck feathers have buff fringes.
Taxonomy
The Ecuadorian piedtail shares its genus with the Peruvian piedtail (P. harterti). It is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Phlogophilus hemileucurus
- Authority
- Gould, 1860
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Phlogophilus
Range and habitat
The Ecuadorian piedtail is found in the eastern foothills of the Andes from Colombia's Putumayo and Cauca departments south through eastern Ecuador into northeastern Peru's departments of San Martín and Loreto. It inhabits primary forest edges and secondary forest at elevations between 500 and 1,200 m (1,600 and 3,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Ecuadorian piedtail is mostly sedentary but local altitudinal movements are believed to be likely.<p>The Ecuadorian piedtail typically forages between 2 and 4 m (7 and 13 ft) above the ground. It perches to take nectar from flowers and to glean small insects from foliage.<p>The Ecuadorian piedtail's breeding season spans from December to April. The typical nest is a cup of fine rootlets and fern leaf placed 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) above the ground. It is sited in vines or under overhanging thickets. The clutch size is two eggs.<p>The Ecuadorian piedtail's song is "a series of typically three high-pitched buzzy notes...followed by several twittering notes 'tzeeeee...tzeee.tzew..tititititi', continuously repeated." Its calls include "a descending series of 3–4 high-pitched 'see' notes..., a repeated 'tsik' note and high-pitched twittering."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Brightly colored thrush of well-shaded undergrowth in a variety of habitats, from deep hilly forests to city parks and gardens. Male has clean pale gray upperparts and a bright orange belly, female and immature male replace gray with brown and have dark streaking on the throat and chest. Forages loudly in the undergrowth, usually singly or in pairs; tends not to associate with other thrush species. Often approachable.
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A medium-sized olive-gray honeyeater with a pale yellow cheek patch and a relatively stout bill. Cheek patch is often a crescent compared to the circular patch on Graceful Honeyeater and the oval path on Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. Adults have a bluish eye, while the similar Graceful Honeyeater has a blue-gray eye and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater has a brown eye. Listen for the rapid staccato machine-gun call of Lewin’s compared to the loud repeated whistles of the Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and the more simple, single note call of Graceful Honeyeater. Of the three easily confusable species, this is the only one found away from the tropics; it occurs in wetter forests and gardens all along the eastern coast of Australia.
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