Purple-throated Woodstar

About the Purple-throated Woodstar

The purple-throated woodstar (Philodice mitchellii) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. The purple-throated woodstar is placed in genus Philodice by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the Clements taxonomy, and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). According to them, it shares the genus with the magenta-throated woodstar (P. bryantae). However, the North American Classification Committee of AOS and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retain them in the older genus Calliphlox.

All the taxonomies agree that the purple-throated woodstar is monotypic. The purple-throated woodstar is 6.8 to 7.5 cm (2.7 to 3.0 in) long and weighs 3.0 to 3.3 g (0.11 to 0.12 oz). Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill. Both have dusky bronze-green upperparts with a white patch on either side of the rump. The male has a small white spot behind the eye and the female a downward curved white line there. The male's gorget is shining violet-purple with a white... Wikipedia →