Ecuadorian Hillstar

About the Ecuadorian Hillstar

The Ecuadorian hillstar or Chimborazo hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) is a species of hummingbird. It is native to the Andes of Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia. Its main habitat type is high-altitude mountain grassland between 3500 and 5200 meters.

The length of this species is about 12 cm, and it weighs approximately 8.0 g. It has a black bill that is slightly decurved and is about 2 cm long. The male has a glittering violet purple hood bordered below by a horizontal black chest stripe. It is dark olive green above and white below with a dark line down the center of the belly. The central tail feathers are blue-green and the rest are mostly white with black tips and edges. Females are duller dusty olive green above with a whitish throat speckled with brown spots. Its tail is dark and the rest of its underparts are pale grayish.

There are two subspecies and the males can be distinguished by their throat. The entire throat of the O. c. jamesonii subspecies is glittering violet purple, but the O. c. chimborazo subspecies has a violet-purple upper throat and a glittering aquamarine patch on its lower throat. Both have the black chest stripe bordering... Wikipedia →