Campylopterus phainopeplus
The Santa Marta Sabrewing (Campylopterus phainopeplus) is a critically endangered and strikingly beautiful hummingbird, endemic to the isolated Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia. This medium-sized hummingbird measures approximately 13-14 cm in length, weighing around 8-10 grams. Males are particularly resplendent, featuring iridescent green upperparts that transition to a dazzling violet-blue on the throat and chest, often appearing black in poor light, complemented by a distinctive white pos...
This species primarily inhabits the humid montane cloud forests and forest edges of the Santa Marta Mountains, often frequenting areas with epiphytes and dense undergrowth. It is typically found at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 meters above sea level.
The Santa Marta Sabrewing feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, particularly those with deep corollas, supplemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage or caught in flight.
Santa Marta Sabrewings are diurnal, highly active birds, spending their days foraging for nectar and insects. Males are known to be aggressively territorial, actively defending prime patches of flowering plants against conspecifics and other hummingbird species. While specific courtship displays ...
The Santa Marta Sabrewing is strictly endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in northern Colombia. Its entire global distribution is confined to this isolated massif, which rises directly from the Caribbean coast. Within this range, it occupies humid montane forests and forest...
Critically Endangered
- The Santa Marta Sabrewing is one of the most geographically restricted and critically endangered bird species in the world, found only in Colombia's isolated Santa Marta Mountains. - Its common name, 'Sabrewing,' comes from the stiff, flattened shafts of its outer primary wing feathers, a uniqu...