Urosticte benjamini
The Purple-bibbed Whitetip (*Urosticte benjamini*) is a captivating, small-to-medium-sized hummingbird, typically measuring 8.5-9.5 cm (3.3-3.7 inches) long and weighing between 3.5-4.5 grams. Males are instantly recognizable by their shimmering green upperparts, a brilliant iridescent violet-purple gorget (bib) extending onto the upper chest, and distinctive white tips on their outer tail feathers. Females share the green upperparts but possess a less pronounced or speckled gorget, with more...
This hummingbird exclusively inhabits humid montane and cloud forests, as well as their edges and adjacent secondary growth, primarily at elevations between 1,200 and 2,500 meters above sea level.
Its primary diet consists of nectar, supplemented significantly by small insects and spiders, which it gleans from foliage or catches in flight.
The Purple-bibbed Whitetip exhibits a diurnal activity pattern, spending its days actively foraging for sustenance. It employs a 'traplining' strategy for nectar, regularly visiting a circuit of scattered flowering plants, but may also defend small, particularly rich patches of flowers. Beyond ne...
The Purple-bibbed Whitetip is endemic to the humid montane forests of the northern Andes in South America. Its distribution spans from southwestern Colombia, including the western slopes of the Andes in Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño departments. It continues south through the western ...
Least Concern
- The Purple-bibbed Whitetip is one of only two species in its genus, *Urosticte*, highlighting its unique place within the diverse hummingbird family. - Its distinctive violet-purple gorget in males can appear blackish in poor light, only revealing its true iridescent splendor when catching the ...