Bluish Flowerpiercer - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Stanley Jones
Napo Province, Ecuador, January 2016

Diglossa caerulescens

Identification

13·5 cm (5¼ in)

• Bluish overall plumage
• Paler under belly
• Black facial mask
• Red eyes

Distribution

South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Taxonomy

Placed in genus Diglossopis by some authorities.

Subspecies

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

• D. c. saturata:

• Andes of Colombia and south-western Venezuela

• D. c. ginesi:

• Sierra de Perijá (Colombia/Venezuela border)

• D. c. caerulescens:

• Coastal mountains of northern Venezuela (Carabobo to Distrito Federal)

• D. c. media:

• Andes of southern Ecuador (Loja) to north-western Peru (Cajamarca and Amazonas)

• D. c. pallida:

• Andes of central Peru (La Libertad to Lima and Junín)

• D. c. mentalis:

• Andes of south-eastern Peru and north-western Bolivia (La Paz)

Habitat

Humid montane forests, second growth and forest borders. Observed at heights around 2,256 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of insects and small berries; they may also take some fruit.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2019)
4. Birdforum Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bluish Flowerpiercer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bluish_Flowerpiercer

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