Santa Marta Sabrewing
Campylopterus phainopeplus
Rare hummingbird endemic to Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Male is green with a blue throat, and female is green above and mostly white below. Both sexes have a white spot behind the eye and lack copper in the tail. Male could be confused with male Lazuline Sabrewing or Black-throated Mango, whose coppery tails are not always evident. Female is similar to female White-vented Plumeleteer, but has a more conspicuous eye spot and less white on the tail tip. Poorly known and rarely seen in the areas typically visited by birders.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Campylopterus phainopeplus
- Authority
- Salvin & Godman, 1879
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Campylopterus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Blood Pheasant
Ithaginis cruentus
A chunky partridgelike pheasant of montane scrub. Males are silvery gray with extensive pale streaking all over the body and crimson-tinged face, tail, breast, and tail - the namesake “blood” of this species. Female is warm brown with an orange face. Both sexes have a small head with an occasionally raised weak crest. Usually seen in small flocks in the winter and in pairs or singly in the summer.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
The largest nuthatch in North America, with distinctive white face, black cap, and blue-gray upperparts. Also note rusty lower belly and undertail coverts. Females have a slightly paler crown than males. Fairly common and widespread, usually in mature woodlands with large trees. Creeps along tree trunks and branches, often upside-down. Sometimes joins mixed flocks with other songbirds. Visits feeders. Listen for insistent yammering calls. Some subtle variation across range, mainly in the darkness of the sides and back, width of the black crown, and vocalizations.
Sri Lanka Green-Pigeon
Treron pompadora
Medium-sized green pigeon with yellow face and yellowish line on the wing. Male has a maroon back that is green on the female. Found singly or in small groups at upper levels of forest in lowlands and hills. Maroon back of male rules out similar species. Female has pale, green-marked undertail, unlike plainer, rufous undertail of Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon, or rufous markings of Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon. Legs and feet of Sri Lanka Green-Pigeon are reddish. Call a series of drawn-out whistles.
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