White-bellied Woodstar - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by ejaramillo
Cuenca, Ecuador

Chaetocercus mulsant

Chaetocercus mulsanti
Acestrura mulsant

Identification

8·5 cm (3¼-3½ in)
Male

• Bluish-green upperparts and flanks
• White breast
• Lilac throat
• White post-ocular spot continues with a line to join breast

Female
Photo © by mmdnje
Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, December 2007

Distribution

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

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

This and other species have previously been placed in genus Acestrura which is generally not currently recognized as valid.

Habitat

Edges of humid forest, highland pastures, and cultivated areas, riparian vegetation. At heights around

Behaviour

Diet

Juvenile
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Guango Lodge, Papallacta, Napo Province, Ecuador, January 2016

Not a lot is known about their diet, but they have been observed feeding on the nectar of flowering agave and other small flowers.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2016)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-bellied Woodstar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-bellied_Woodstar

External Links

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