- Ramphomicron dorsale
Identification
Very short bill and elongated body shape.
Male: upperside including tail very dark (may shine purple in the right light), throat a green gorget, breast rufous intermixed with green, and lower belly and crissum white to grey. Tail is deeply forked.
Female: upperside green with rufous uppertail coverts, underside white with green spots on throat and flanks. Tail less strongly forked than male, dark blue to purple with white tips and edge.
Distribution
Endemic to Santa Marta Mountains (north-eastern Colombia)
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Mid to high elevation in humid areas including forest borders and semiopen areas to high-altitude grassland; readily visits garden feeders.
Behaviour
Usually solitary, and apt to fourage at all levels in the forest.
Insects (in addition to nectar) are important as food for this species, it both gleans and flycatches.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-backed Thornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-backed_Thornbill
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.