Metallura baroni
The Violet-throated Metaltail (Metallura baroni) is a diminutive and highly localized hummingbird, measuring approximately 10-11 cm in length, including its distinctive tail, and weighing a mere 4.5-5.5 grams. Males are instantly recognizable by their intensely iridescent violet gorget, which can appear black in poor light but flashes brilliantly in direct sunlight, contrasting with an otherwise metallic green body and rufous undertail coverts. A key field mark, and the origin of its genus na...
This highly specialized hummingbird inhabits high-elevation humid montane cloud forests, elfin forest, and the edges of páramo environments. It thrives at altitudes typically ranging between 2,700 and 3,800 meters above sea level.
Its diet primarily consists of nectar, extracted from a variety of small, high-Andean flowers, particularly those from the Ericaceae family. Small insects and other arthropods are also captured on the wing or gleaned from vegetation, providing essential protein.
The Violet-throated Metaltail is primarily diurnal, actively foraging throughout the day and likely roosting solitarily in dense vegetation at night. Its foraging strategy involves hovering deftly before flowers to sip nectar, often following a trap-lining route between preferred floral patches, ...
The Violet-throated Metaltail is endemic to a highly restricted range within the western slopes of the Andes in southwestern Ecuador. Specifically, its distribution is confined to the provinces of Azuay and Cañar, making it one of the most geographically limited hummingbird species. It is conside...
Endangered
- The Violet-throated Metaltail is one of the most range-restricted hummingbirds globally, found only in a tiny portion of the Ecuadorian Andes. - Its scientific name 'baroni' honors ornithologist W. Baroni, who collected the first specimen in 1893. - Despite its vivid name, the violet throat of ...