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Black-breasted Puffleg - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Dušan Brinkhuizen
Yanacocha Ecuador, July 2009
Eriocnemis nigrivestis

Identification

8.5cm.

  • Straight black bill

Male

  • Blackish upperparts
  • Dark blue uppertail-coverts and blackish underparts
  • Violet-blue throat and undertail-coverts
  • Dark steel-blue forked tail
  • White leg-puffs
Female
Photo by Ecuadorrebel
Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador, June 2012

Female

  • Shining bronze-green above
  • Bluish-green rump and uppertail-coverts
  • Golden-green underparts
  • Pale blue chin
  • Tail, undertail-coverts and leg-puffs as male

Similar Species

Glowing Puffleg is similar to the female

Distribution

South America: found only in Ecuador, on the Northwestern slopes of the Pichincha volcano.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Humid and wet cloud forest, montane forest, elfin forest and forest borders at 1,700-3,500m.

Behaviour

The diet includes flowers and nectar. Recent observation showed a preference to Ericaceae Cavendishia.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
  2. BirdLife International

Recommended Citation

External Links

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