Uranomitra franciae
The Andean Emerald, *Uranomitra franciae*, is a strikingly iridescent medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring 9-10 cm in length and weighing 4.5-5.5 grams. Males boast brilliant emerald-green plumage over most of their body, contrasted with a stark white belly, a distinctive white postocular stripe, and a deeply forked, dusky tail. Their straight, slender bill is dark, often with a pinkish or reddish base to the lower mandible, a key identification feature. Females are slightly duller, ...
This species primarily inhabits humid montane forests, cloud forest edges, shrubby clearings, and disturbed forest patches. It typically occurs at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,800 meters above sea level.
The Andean Emerald primarily feeds on nectar obtained from a wide variety of flowering plants, using its long, slender bill and extensible tongue. It supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, which are caught in flight (hawking) or gleaned from vegetation.
Andean Emeralds are diurnal and highly active, spending their days foraging for nectar and insects, often employing a 'traplining' strategy across regular circuits of flowering plants. They also glean insects from foliage or hawk them deftly in mid-air. Males are fiercely territorial, aggressivel...
The Andean Emerald, *Uranomitra franciae*, is a resident species distributed across the humid Andes mountains of South America, with no significant migratory movements. Its primary range extends from the Andes of western Venezuela, through the three cordilleras of Colombia, into the inter-Andean ...
Least Concern
- The iridescent green plumage of the Andean Emerald is not due to pigment, but rather to the microscopic structure of its feathers, which diffracts and reflects light, creating its brilliant metallic sheen. - Like all hummingbirds, it has an incredibly high metabolism, requiring it to feed frequ...