Chaetocercus astreans
The Santa Marta Woodstar (Chaetocercus astreans) is a minute and dazzling hummingbird endemic to the isolated Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia. Measuring a mere 6.5 cm (2.6 inches) in length and weighing around 2.5 grams, it is among the smallest birds in South America. Males are striking, boasting an iridescent glossy green crown and back, paired with a brilliant purple-violet gorget that flares out at the sides, contrasted by a white breast stripe and rufous flanks. Females, while lacking ...
Found in humid to semi-humid montane forest borders, cloud forest, scrub, and coffee plantations, typically at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 2,600 meters (3,300-8,500 feet).
Primarily feeds on nectar extracted from small, short-corolla flowers, supplemented with small arthropods (insects and spiders) hawked in flight or gleaned from foliage.
The Santa Marta Woodstar is a diurnal and solitary bird, often seen actively foraging throughout the day, likely roosting communally or individually in dense vegetation at night. Males are highly territorial, aggressively defending rich flower patches and specific perches from rivals and even lar...
The Santa Marta Woodstar is a non-migratory resident species, found exclusively within the isolated Santa Marta Mountains of northern Colombia. Its entire global distribution is confined to this unique 'sky island' ecosystem, separated from the main Andes range. It occurs across a significant ele...
Least Concern
- The Santa Marta Woodstar is one of the smallest birds in South America, weighing less than a US penny. - It is strictly endemic to the Santa Marta Mountains, a unique isolated mountain range in Colombia. - Its genus name, *Chaetocercus*, translates to 'bristle-tail', referring to the stiff, sho...