Rusty Flowerpiercer - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Pitter
Dapa-Valle Colombia

Diglossa sittoides

Identification

11 cm (4¼ in); Bicolored
Male: Bluish above and Cinnamon below. Face somewhat darker.
'Female is brownish green above and a dingy yellow below with streaks on throat and chest.

Distribution

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

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Female
Photo by Pitter
Dapa.Valle Colombia

There are 5 subspecies^[1]:

• D. s. hyperythra:

Northern Colombia (Santa Marta Mountains) and coastal mountains of northern Venezuela

• D. s. dorbignyi:

Andes of Colombia and western Venezuela (Lara, Mérida and Táchira)

• D. s. coelestis:

Sierra de Perijá (Colombia/Venezuela border)

• D. s. mandeli:

• Subtropical mountains of north-eastern Venezuela (Mount Turumiquire in Sucre)

• D. s. decorata:

• Subtropical Andes of Ecuador and Peru

• D. s. sittoides:

• Subtropical Andes of western Bolivia and north-western Argentina

Habitat

Juvenile
Photo by STEFFRO1
Ollantaytambo, Peru, August 2015

Mountainous areas, particularly shrubby areas, pastures, open woodland scrub and forest edges.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of nectar and a variety of small insects.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Rusty Flowerpiercer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Rusty_Flowerpiercer

External Links

Search for photos of Rusty Flowerpiercer in the gallery