Bronze-tailed Thornbill

Common name: Bronze-tailed Thornbill
Scientific name: Chalcostigma heteropogon
Clades: Lesbiini - Coquettes

The Bronze-tailed Thornbill is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 5.9 to 6.3 g (0.21 to 0.22 oz).

The Bronze-tailed Thornbill is a large, but short-billed, hummingbird. At high elevations, they live in stunted woodlands or in shrubby areas of montane forests and páramo. Males and females have rufous-copper rumps and long tails. Green stripes appear on males' throats, which turn pink at the chest. It is an aggressive hummingbird that both defends flower patches and visits scattered flowers. The birds often forage alone and cling to flowers for nectar, or hover with slow wing movements. They also feed extensively on insects during certain times of the year. Most of the time, they rest in shrubs or beneath rocky outcrops when perched.

Distribution Extreme W Venezuela (Páramo de Tamá, in S Táchira) and E Andes of Colombia (S to Cundinamarca).