Polytmus milleri
The Tepui Goldenthroat (Polytmus milleri) is a striking and specialized hummingbird, instantly recognizable by its iridescent golden-green throat patch contrasting with a gleaming emerald-green back and clean white underparts. Measuring approximately 10.5-11.5 cm in length and weighing around 3.5-4.5 grams, it possesses a relatively long, straight black bill perfect for probing deep flowers. Distinctive field marks include a prominent white post-ocular stripe and an overall slender, elegant b...
This species is an obligate resident of the high-altitude tepui grasslands, stunted scrub, and montane forest edges found exclusively on the unique table-top mountains of the Guiana Highlands, typically above 1,000 meters.
Its diet consists primarily of nectar gathered from various flowering plants endemic to the tepui environment, complemented by small insects and spiders gleaned from vegetation or caught in mid-air for essential protein.
The Tepui Goldenthroat is a highly active, diurnal species, constantly in motion during daylight hours to fuel its high metabolism. Foraging primarily involves hovering in front of flowers to extract nectar with its long tongue, often supplemented by aerial hawking of small insects. Males are ter...
The Tepui Goldenthroat is endemic to the Pantepui biogeographic region of northern South America, with its distribution strictly confined to the summits and upper slopes of the tepuis (table-top mountains) in the Guiana Highlands. Its range spans southern Venezuela (primarily Bolívar and Amazonas...
Least Concern
- The Tepui Goldenthroat is named after Colonel Frank Miller, a naturalist and explorer. - It is a true 'tepui specialist,' found exclusively on the isolated table-top mountains of the Guiana Highlands. - Like all hummingbirds, it can hover effortlessly, flying backward or even upside down. - Its...