- Lesbia victoriae
Identification
14·9–26 cm (5¾-10¼ in) - includes long tail of 11.2-18 cm)
- Black slightly curved bill.
Female has a shorter tail and spotted chest.
Similar Species
Green-tailed Trainbearer has a straighter bill; also look at several species of Sylphs
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized[1]:
- L. v. victoriae:
- L. v. juliae:
- Andes of northern and central Peru
- L. v. berlepschi:
- Andes of south-eastern Peru
Habitat
Semi-open and shrubby areas in temperate zone of central and inter-Andean valleys and mountains to around 3500m. Also parks, gardens and agricultural land.
Behaviour
Males when diving in front of females can make a rattling sound with their wings, and in addition both song and calls have been described.
Diet
They forage for nectar in the higher and mid levels.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BF Member observations
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Sept 2017)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Black-tailed Trainbearer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Black-tailed_Trainbearer
