Tyrian Metaltail
Common name: Tyrian Metaltail
Scientific name: Metallura tyrianthina
Clades: Lesbiini - Coquettes
The Tyrian Metaltail is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 2.7 to 5.1 g (0.10 to 0.18 oz).
Tyrian Metaltails inhabit humid and wet forests, especially near forest boundaries. Additionally, it inhabits overgrown clearings near the edge of forests. A few subspecies of Tyrian Metaltails have varying colors. They cling to or hover at flowers, usually in shrubby forest borders or beside roads. Males defend small clusters of flowers aggressively. Individuals often congregate with birds of the same gender throughout the year, and populations move considerably between seasons.
7 subspecies:
Tyrian Metaltail (Santa Marta)
M. t. districta
Distribution Santa Marta Mts and Sierra de Perijá (N Colombia–NW Venezuela border).
Tyrian Metaltail (Costa)
2. M. t. chloropogon
Distribution N Colombia (S to head of Magdalena Valley) and NW Venezuela (Andes S from N Lara).
Tyrian Metaltail (Merida)
3. M. t. oreopola
Distribution Andes of Venezuela (SW Lara, Trujillo, Mérida, N Táchira).
Tyrian Metaltail (Tyrian)
4. M. t. o tyrianthina
Distribution NW Venezuela (SW Táchira) through all Andean chains of Colombia and E and S Ecuador to extreme N Peru (Piura).
5. M. t. oquitensis
Distribution NW Ecuador.
Tyrian Metaltail (septentrionalis)
6. M. t. septentrionalis
Distribution W slope of Andes of Peru (W of R Marañón, from Cajamarca to Lima).
Tyrian Metaltail (smaragdinicollis)
7. M. t. smaragdinicollis
Distribution E slope of Andes from Peru (S from Amazonas) to C Bolivia (Santa Cruz).
