Loddigesia mirabilis
The Marvelous Spatuletail is an exceptionally striking and unique hummingbird, renowned for the male's extraordinary tail feathers. Averaging 15-17 cm in length for males (with 10-11 cm being the tail spatules) and 9-10 cm for females, they weigh a mere 2.8-3 grams. Males boast an iridescent green crown, a brilliant turquoise gorget, and a black line down their white underparts, but their most distinctive feature is the four outer tail feathers: two short ones, and two immensely elongated, wi...
Found exclusively in the humid montane cloud forests, forest edges, and secondary growth of the Peruvian Andes, typically between 2,100 and 2,900 meters (6,900-9,500 feet) elevation.
Primarily feeds on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, including Bromeliaceae, Lamiaceae (e.g., Salvia), Orchidaceae, and Lobeliaceae. They also supplement their diet with small insects caught on the wing, providing essential protein.
Marvelous Spatuletails are diurnal and largely solitary outside of breeding interactions, spending their day foraging for nectar. Males are highly territorial, aggressively defending prime feeding sites and their lekking display perches from rivals and other hummingbirds. During courtship, males ...
The Marvelous Spatuletail is strictly endemic to a restricted area within the humid montane cloud forests of northern Peru. Its primary distribution is centered around the upper Rio Utcubamba Valley in the Amazonas region, extending into adjacent areas of the San MartÃn region. This species does ...
Vulnerable
- The male Marvelous Spatuletail possesses only four tail feathers, two of which are disproportionately elongated into spectacular spatules. - The scientific name 'Loddigesia' honors George Loddiges, an English horticulturist and ornithologist. - The specific epithet 'mirabilis' is Latin for 'mar...