Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot

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.

Chunky, short-tailed, flat-headed bird patterned in green and black. Male has black head and breast, pale yellow belly with bold dark barring, and mossy green upperparts with bold pale spotting on the wing. Female is similar but has a green head with barring all the way up the throat. On both sexes, note red bill and legs and pale eye varying from orange to gray to whitish. Fairly common in stunted forested habitats in the upper subtropical and temperate zone in the Andes. Sluggish; perches quietly in the middle levels of the forest, sometimes following a mixed-species flock. May be seen singly or in pairs, but several can gather around a fruiting tree. Listen for super high-pitched calls.

Medium-sized, largely green parrot with a striking head pattern. The head is featherless with a combination of orange, black, and yellow bristles. Note the orange shoulder and, in flight, the red underwings. Found in the canopy of humid forest. Call is a distinctive nasal series of “tree ... trayaweet” notes.