Wire-crested Thorntail

Common name: Wire-crested Thorntail
Scientific name: Discosura popelairii
Clades: Lesbiini - Coquettes

The Wire-crested Thorntail is a small hummingbird about 11.4 cm (4.5 in) long and weight about 2.5 g (0.088 oz).

With their long, wire-like crests and long, forked tails, the males of this species are breathtaking. As with Black-bellied Thorntail (Discosura langsdorffi), both sexes display a white rump band, but the female's middle underparts are entirely black rather than black and green. The species lives in humid forests, where it often hovers like a bee high in the canopy or perches conspicuously along the edge.

Distribution Foothills in E Colombia (W Meta), E Ecuador and E Peru (S to Puno). Recorded also in adjacent Bolivia.