Stripe-breasted Starthroat

About the Stripe-breasted Starthroat

The stripe-breasted starthroat (Heliomaster squamosus) is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Brazil. At one time the stripe-breasted starthroat was placed in genus Lepidolarynx but since the mid-1900s has had its current placement in Heliomaster. It is monotypic.

The stripe-breasted starthroat is 11.2 to 12.4 cm (4.4 to 4.9 in) long and weighs 5 to 6.5 g (0.18 to 0.23 oz). Both sexes have a long, slightly decurved, black bill, a white streak behind the eye, and a white "moustache". Both have a forked tail but the female's is less deeply indented than the male's. Males in breeding plumage have bronzy green upperparts with an iridescent green crown. Their gorget is glittering violet and the sides of it flare out. Their underparts are greenish-black with a white stripe down the middle. The central tail feathers are black and the rest are dark blue-green. After breeding its throat molts to grayish with black spots. Females' upperparts are like the male's. The throat feathers are blackish green with white edges. The chest and belly are grayish with a white stripe... Wikipedia →