Blue-tufted Starthroat

About the Blue-tufted Starthroat

The blue-tufted starthroat (Heliomaster furcifer) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and possibly Ecuador.

At one time the blue-tufted starthroat was the only species in genus Heliomaster, but since the mid-1900s three other species have been reassigned to it. The blue-tufted starthroat is monotypic. The blue-tufted starthroat is 12.6 to 13 cm (5.0 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5 to 6.5 g (0.18 to 0.23 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a long, decurved, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. Both have a forked tail but the female's is less deeply indented than the male's. Males in breeding plumage have an emerald green crown, nape, and upper back; the rest of the upperparts are shining coppery green. The throat is glittering violet. The underparts and elongated feathers on the sides of the neck are iridescent ultramarine. The tail is dark green on its upper side and blue-green below. Non-breeding males are grayish below like females. Females have coppery green upperparts. The throat and... Wikipedia →