Gorgeted woodstar

Feb 27, 2022 Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

Interesting Creature…

Kaieteur News – The gorgeted woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela, and also has an isolated population in Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and heavily degraded former forest. This species favours forested areas highly but can be seen at flowering trees in gardens and in semi-open. The tail is frequently wagged while feeding.
This tiny bird is 7 cm (2.7 in) in total length, making it one of the smallest birds native to South America alongside the short-tailed woodstar and Esmeraldas woodstar. The gorgeted woodstar is dark shining green above with a short white postocular stripe and white patch on the sides of the lower back extending to the lower flanks.
The male’s gorget is glittering pinkish violet and has elongated, pointed sides that hang around the throat. The white pectoral collar is less evident than in other woodstars. The breast is greyish and the belly is blue-green. The tail is forked and fairly short, with a spiky, narrow appearance. The female is similar overall but lacks the gorget and brighter colouration. There is limited overlap in the wild with the little woodstar but the female of that species is superficially indistinguishable from this one. (Source: Wikipedia)