Photo by Stanley Jones
Northeast end of Carpish Tunnel, Huánuco, Peru, August, 2017
- Coeligena violifer
Identification
13-14.5 cm (5-5¾ in)
- Long, straight, black bill
- Blackish-blue head with white postocular spot
- Shining bronzy-green back
- Green throat and breast with iridescent violet gular spot
- Thin greyish band across upper breast
- Green lower breast contrasting with cinnamon belly and undertail-coverts
- Forked tail uniform orange-buff with small bronzy tips
Females are similar but with longer bill, green head, buff throat with green discs, a darkish green marked breast becoming rich cinnamon on belly and a less forked tail.
Immatures are similar to adult females.
Variations
- dichroura with emerald green forehad with bluish-green frontlet, more bluish throat patch and indication of whitish band across breast; tail with broad bronzy terminal band
- albicaudata with turquoise frontlet, more bluish-purple throat patch, distinctive white undertail-coverts and whitish tail
- osculans has intense greenish turquoise frontlet, a dark shining green crown, pale cinnamon lower underparts and a tail with a bronzy terminal band
Distribution
In the Andes from southern Ecuador to Peru and northwestern Bolivia.
Taxonomy
Forms probably a superspecies with Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Golden-bellied Starfrontlet and Blue-throated Starfrontlet.
Subspecies
Four subspecies recognized[1]:
- C. v. dichroura in the Andes of southern Ecuador (Loja) to Peru (Junín, Huánuco and Lima)
- C. v. albicaudata in the Andes of southern Peru (Cuzco, Apurímac and Ayacucho)
- C. v. osculans in the Andes of southeast Peru (Cuzco)
- C. v. violifer in the Andes of northwestern Bolivia (La Paz and Cochabamba)
Habitat
In clearings and at edges of elfin forest and cloudforest.
Occurs from 1300 to 3700 m, mostly from 2800 to 3300m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on nectar of flowering Fuchsia, Bomarea and Vrisea. Catches also arthropods.
Forages by trap-lining low down along the periphery of vegetation, sometimes inside the forest along trails.
Breeding
Breeding season from November to January. No other information.
Movements
Some seasonal movements following flowering season possible. Also altitudinal separation between males and females has been observed.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Violet-throated Starfrontlet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Violet-throated_Starfrontlet
