Dusky Starfrontlet
Coeligena orina
Rare hummingbird known only from a few locations in the northern half of Colombia’s western Andes. Large and long billed with iridescent green belly and rump. Male has glittering green forehead and sapphire throat patch. Female lacks these features and instead has a buffy throat and mustache. Inhabits humid forest at high elevations up to tree line. Feeds on a variety of flowers, and regularly visits feeders in the reserve that bears its Spanish name, the Colibrí del Sol Nature Reserve above the town of Urrao.
Identification
The dusky starfrontlet is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. Males weigh 6.9 to 7.2 g (0.24 to 0.25 oz) and females 6.7 to 7 g (0.24 to 0.25 oz). The male has a glittering blue-green to golden green forehead and a velvety black crown, face, and mantle. The back is green with black highlights, the rump and uppertail coverts iridescent golden green, and the tail a paler green. The throat and breast are dark green, like the back suffused with black, and there is a large cobalt-blue spot on the lower throat. The belly and undertail coverts are the same golden green as the rump. The female's crown, face, and upper back are green with blackish tips to the feathers that give a scaly effect. The rump, uppertail coverts, and tail are like the male's but with less iridescence. The throat is a bright cinnamon buff with green spots on the sides, the belly iridescent golden green with dusky inclusions, and the undertail coverts dull golden green with buffy edges.<p>One Spanish name for the dusky starfrontlet is "Colibrí del Sol", which translates to "hummingbird of the Sun".
Taxonomy
The dusky starfrontlet was originally known from a single museum specimen collected in 1951 and described as a full species in 1953. In 1988 its status was reassessed as a subspecies of golden-bellied starfrontlet (Coeligena bonapartei). It was rediscovered in 2004, in what is now the Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve, and additional specimens confirmed its identity as a species. It and the buff-winged starfrontlet (C. lutetiae) are sister species and it is also closely related to the golden-bellied, violet-throated (C. violifer), and blue-throated (C. helianthea) starfrontlets.<p>The dusky starfrontlet is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Coeligena orina
- Authority
- Wetmore, 1953
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Coeligena
Range and habitat
The dusky starfrontlet is found in only about a dozen sites in a few small areas of the Western Andes of Colombia. The original 1951 specimen and some of the 2004 ones were collected at Páramo de Frontino, Antioquia Department. Others were collected in 2004 at nearby Las Orquídeas National Natural Park in Farallones del Citará on the Antioquia/Chocó border. Further observations have come from Jardín in Antioquia and Cerro Montezuma in Risaralda Department.<p>Specimens and sight records of dusky starfrontlet have come from tall humid forest, elfin forest, and the ecotone between forest and páramo. Most observations have been between about 3,100 and 3,500 m (10,200 and 11,500 ft) of elevation, but there is one record from 2,500 m (8,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
No movements of the dusky starfrontlet are definitely known, but the sighting at 2500 m might indicate that some take place.<p>The dusky starfrontlet has been observed feeding on nectar at plants of genera Aetanthus, Bejaria, Bomarea, Cavendishia, and Centropogon. Stomachs of specimens have yielded spiders, wasps, flies, and what appeared to be a psocopteran.<p>Little is known about the dusky starfrontlet's breeding phenology. Two nests are known, both from Tatamá National Natural Park. They were held by thin roots on rock faces about 3 m (10 ft) above the ground. Each contained two eggs. Immature birds have been reported in both January and August.<p>A few dusky starfrontlet vocalizations have been described, a "high-pitched wiry note becoming trill-like towards the end 'tseeririrrr', a single 'tsee' and a lower-pitched strident 'tsip'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Garnet-throated Hummingbird
Lamprolaima rhami
Large, spectacular, and solidly built hummingbird of humid evergreen and pine-evergreen forest in mountains; uncommon. Feeds at all levels on flowers and sometimes perches on prominent high twigs. Most striking feature is the bright rusty wings, which typically flash brightly as it hovers at flowers; also note the big white spot behind the eye. Male often looks blackish below; the pink throat rarely catches the light. Female is dusky grayish below.
Short-tailed Emerald
Chlorostilbon poortmani
Small, compact hummingbird found in extreme western Venezuela and central Colombia. Male is entirely glittering emerald with a dark tail. Female is greenish above with a grayer throat, a dark cheek, and a thin white eyeline. Occurs in various wooded habitats and edges, often feeding at flower patches at low or middle levels. Typically found at lower elevations than the very similar Narrow-tailed Emerald.
Chiloe Wigeon
Mareca sibilatrix
Handsome and distinctive duck. Sexes look similar, but male averages brighter. Note the striking face pattern (duller on young and on adults in late summer), bright rusty sides, and bold white forewing patches that show in flight. Often common in wetlands, marshes, at lakes, and along river mouths. Associates readily with other waterfowl, but more often seen on shore, grazing in grassy areas.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.