Scaled Metaltail

About the Scaled Metaltail

The scaled metaltail (Metallura aeneocauda) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru. The scaled metaltail has two subspecies, the nominate M. a. aeneocauda and M. a. malagae. The latter was for a time treated as a separate species.

The scaled metaltail is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5.2 to 5.4 g (0.18 to 0.19 oz). It has a medium length, straight, black bill. The adult male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts. Its slightly forked tail is iridescent sky blue with bronzy green tones on its upper side and glittering green on its underside. Its gorget is iridescent bright green. The rest of its underparts are green with a scaly appearance from tan feather margins. The adult female is similar to the male. Its gorget is smaller and its undersides are more mottled. Juveniles are similar to the female. Subspecies M. a. malagae is similar to the nominate but the upper side of its tail is bronzy red and the underside red. It also has a longer bill.

The nominate subspecies of scaled metaltail is found on... Wikipedia →