Blue-bearded Helmetcrest

Common name: Blue-bearded Helmetcrest
Scientific name: Oxypogon cyanolaemus
Clades: Lesbiini - Coquettes

The Blue-bearded Helmetcrest is about 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long. The weight is unknown.

The Blue-bearded Helmetcrest was considered extinct for 69 years (1945 to 2015).

It is one of the world's rarest and most endangered hummingbirds and can only be found at extremely high altitudes in Colombia's Santa Marta Mountains. A multi-day camping expedition over steep terrain is required to see one, as this bird does not occur in areas typically visited by birders. An adult male's shaggy crest, black and white head pattern, and green and blue beard are distinctive. Younger males and females lack crests and beards but are distinguished by their size, short bills, and white collars. It feeds on flowering bushes in and around high-elevation grassland; it often clings to flowers during the feeding process.

Endemic to Santa Marta Mountains in Colombia