Sapphire-vented Puffleg
Eriocnemis luciani
Large, lanky hummingbird of the high Andes; ranges from extreme southern Colombia south to Peru. Green with blue vent, white leg puffs, and fairly long tail. Birds from Ecuador have a blue forehead. Peruvian birds have little or no blue on the forehead, a coppery nape, and may show a bluish tinge on the belly. Sexes similar, though females from southern Peru can have a whitish belly. Encountered at edge of humid forest, aggressively defending flower patches.
Identification
The sapphire-vented puffleg is 11.4 to 14 cm (4.5 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 5.4 to 6.4 g (0.19 to 0.23 oz). It has a straight black bill. The nominate subspecies' male has metallic grass green upperparts with a shining dark blue forecrown. Its underparts are mostly glittering golden green with a glittering purple vent and undertail coverts. Its leg puffs are white and the tail is deeply forked and blue-black. The female is slightly smaller, with a less deeply forked tail, but has the same plumage.<p>Subspecies E. l. meridae is a more bronzy green than the nominate, its chin emerald to golden, and much of its head feathering has iridescent copper fringes. E. l. baptistae is an even deeper bronzy green than meridae. E. l. catharina has upperparts like the nominate but without the blue forecrown. The male's belly is bluer and the centerof the female's belly is whitish. E. l. sapphiropygia is a lighter green than the nominate, lacks the nominate's blue forecrown, and has a bronzy or coppery tinge to the rear of the crown.
Taxonomy
The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy recognize the following five subspecies of sapphire-vented puffleg.<p>BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World accepts several 21st century studies and treats the last two as members a separate species, the coppery-naped puffleg (E. sapphiropygia). The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society declined to recognize that split.<p>Subspecies E. l. meridae is known only from the holotype that was collected in 1898, and it might be extinct.
- Scientific name
- Eriocnemis luciani
- Authority
- (Bourcier, 1847)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Eriocnemis
Range and habitat
The subspecies of sapphire-vented puffleg are found thus (but see the text below):<p>Because E. l. meridae is known only from a single 19th century specimen and might be extinct, the SACC does not include Venezuela in the species' range. The SACC also notes that the species has been recorded as hypothetical (with "no tangible evidence") in Bolivia. There are several gaps in the distribution along the Andes that have not been explained.<p>The sapphire-vented puffleg inhabits humid montane forest, especially elfin forest and Polylepis woodlands, and is also found in brushy páramo. In Ecuador it ranges between 2,700 and 3,700 m (8,900 and 12,100 ft) of elevation, but occurs mostly below 3,400 m (11,200 ft). In Peru it occurs between 2,400 and 3,500 m (7,900 and 11,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Marquesan Swiftlet
Aerodramus ocistus
A medium-sized swiftlet with a relatively long forked tail. Mostly brown with very slightly paler brown underparts and a more golden-brown rump and collar. Most common over rocky riverine valleys and humid forests. Similar to Atiu Swiftlet but is less contrastingly patterned, overall more uniformly brown, with a paler rump and a proportionally longer tail. Also extremely similar to Polynesian Swiftlet, but appears darker-faced and more obviously golden-collared. Vocally similar to Polynesian Swiftlet, with a voice consisting of insect-like buzzing and trilling.
Dusky-throated Hermit
Phaethornis squalidus
Small understory hummingbird found in montane forest and dense second growth. Note its strongly curved bill and prominent dark mask and a pale eyebrow. Largely brownish, but is slightly, green above and paler below. The long tail is strongly graduated, dark at the base with pale tips. It is similar to Scale-throated Hermit, but Dusky-throated Hermit is smaller with a pale throat.
Fischer's Greenbul
Phyllastrephus fischeri
Typically dull olive-brown mid-sized greenbul with a long bill, white throat, and reddish tail. Has a whitish eye, and usually shows pale crescents above and below the eye. Found in the thick undergrowth of forest and lush woodland at low elevations. Usually in small groups. The calls are low, gravelly “chrrr” notes, delivered in quick sequence, often by a whole group together. Somewhat similar to Gray-olive Greenbul, but larger, with a darker bill and legs. Similar to brownbuls, but separated by the pale eye and more olive-green coloration on the back.
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