Campylopterus falcatus
The Lazuline Sabrewing (*Campylopterus falcatus*) is a striking, medium-sized hummingbird renowned for its brilliant iridescent plumage and distinctive wing structure. Males flaunt a dazzling blue-violet throat and breast, contrasting with metallic green upperparts and a prominent white post-ocular spot. Females are somewhat duller, exhibiting a white throat and belly often speckled with green, but retain the green upperparts and white eye-spot. Measuring approximately 11.5-13 cm in length an...
Found primarily in subtropical and tropical moist montane forests, forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, typically at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,400 meters.
Feeds predominantly on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, particularly those with long corollas like *Heliconia* and *Centropogon*, supplemented with small arthropods caught in mid-air or gleaned from vegetation.
Lazuline Sabrewings are diurnal and mostly solitary, actively foraging throughout the day. They employ both trap-lining, following a regular route to visit scattered nectar sources, and territorial defense, aggressively guarding rich patches of flowers. Courtship displays are not well documented ...
The Lazuline Sabrewing is endemic to the humid northern Andes of South America. Its primary distribution extends through the Western, Central, and Eastern Cordilleras of Colombia, continuing into the Cordillera de Mérida of western Venezuela, and south through the Andes of northern Ecuador. While...
Least Concern
- The 'sabrewing' name comes from the unique, stiffened, and flattened outer primary feathers found in males of this genus, though these are rarely visible in the field. - Despite their robust size for a hummingbird, they are incredibly agile flyers, capable of hovering, flying backward, and mane...