Black-thighed Puffleg
Eriocnemis derbyi
Scintillating hummingbird of the high Andes of Colombia and far northern Ecuador (it does not reach the Quito area). Male is dark glittering-green (with brighter rump and vent) and has inconspicuous black leg puffs. Female is brighter green with small white leg puffs, blue forehead, and white scaling on throat and breast. Typically seen feeding at the edge of elfin forest or in scrubby ravines.
Identification
The black-thighed puffleg is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. It has a straight blackish bill. Males are mostly shining golden green overall, sometimes with black highlights, and has glittering malachite green upper- and undertail coverts. Their leg puffs are black and the tail is forked and black. Females are similar but have white underparts with green spots, and their leg puffs are a mix of black and grayish white. The female also has a blue tinge to the forehead. Juveniles resemble females.
Taxonomy
The black-thighed puffleg is monotypic though at one time it was thought to have two subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Eriocnemis derbyi
- Authority
- (Delattre & Bourcier, 1846)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Eriocnemis
Range and habitat
The black-thighed puffleg is found in the Central Andes of Colombia from Tolima Department and south to Imbabura Province in northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits bushy pastures and the edges of humid forest, and in Colombia has also been recorded in shrubby ravines. It prefers somewhat open landscapes. In elevation it ranges from 2,500 to 3,600 m (8,200 to 11,800 ft) and is most common above 2,900 m (9,500 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The black-thighed puffleg makes seasonal elevational movements.<p>The black-thighed puffleg feeds on nectar, usually at the flowers of low-growing plants like Fuchsia and Arecaceae. Its diet also includes insects taken by hawking.<p>Very little is known about the black-thighed puffleg's breeding phenology. Its nesting season has not been defined but appears to include February. The female incubates the two white eggs; the incubation period and time to fledging are not known.<p>The black-thighed puffleg's only described vocalization is "a short buzzy trill 'tzzrr', repeated at irregular intervals". It is given both from a perch and while hovering, and is very different than the sounds of other Eriocnemis pufflegs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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