Black-breasted Hillstar
Oreotrochilus melanogaster
Large hummingbird found only at very high elevations in the Andes of central Peru. Male is dusky green with a sparkling green throat, a blue breast and belly, and gray sides. Female lacks the colorful underparts, and instead has a speckled throat and white tips to the tail. She is similar to females of both Andean and Green-headed Hillstars, but lacks white at the base of the tail feathers. The species inhabits open, scrubby habitat, usually above treeline, and feeds on a wide variety of flowers as well as insects.
Identification
The black-breasted hillstar is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs about 8.4 g (0.30 oz). Adults have a medium length slightly decurved black bill. The male's upperparts are bronzy brown. It has a shining emerald green gorget, grayish brown flanks, and entirely black breast, belly, and vent area. The tail is slightly forked and blue-black. The female is dull bronzy brown above and below. Its throat is pale with fine dark speckles. The tail is greenish black and the outer three or four pairs of feathers are white at their tips.
Taxonomy
The black-breasted hillstar is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Oreotrochilus melanogaster
- Authority
- Gould, 1847
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Oreotrochilus
Range and habitat
The black-breasted hillstar is found in the central Andes of Peru, primarily in the departments of Junín and Huancavelica. Its range also extends slightly into the adjacent departments of Ancash, Lima, Pasco, and Ayacucho. It inhabits puna grasslands, especially areas with much Chuquiraga spinosa and cushion cacti, and some rock outcroppings as well. It also commonly occurs in gardens and has been noted in Puya raimondii stands. In elevation it ranges between 3,500 and 4,400 metres (11,500 and 14,400 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The black-breasted hillstar is a year-round resident in Junín but in Huancavelica it might leave the puna after cacti stop flowering.<p>The black-breasted hillstar feeds on nectar primarily from Chuquiraga spinosa in Junín; in Huancavelica it favors cactus flowers. It feeds at other flowering plants as well, especially red ones, by trap-lining, and will feed at Eucalyptus. It hawks for insects on the wing.<p>The black-breasted hillstar nests in February and March. It glues a large cup nest to a vertical substrate such as a sheltered rock face and even under the eaves of buildings. The clutch size is two white eggs. Little else is known about the species' breeding phenology.<p>The black-breasted hillstar's vocalizations are not well known, but it makes a "fast squeaky twittering with rising and falling sequences" when chasing.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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