Female © David Irving
Immature male © Chris Wood
© Andres Vasquez Noboa
Adult male © Andres Vasquez Noboa
+ 4
Female © Suzanne Labbé
Adult male © Catherine McFadden
Adult male © Otto Samwald

Purple-throated Woodstar Philodice mitchellii

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Identification

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Woodstars are tiny hummingbirds that fly like bumblebees. Purple-throated is restricted to the west slope of the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador, where it inhabits cloud forest, edges, and second growth from 800–2,000 m. Males have a glittering purple throat, white chest band, fairly long forked tail, and white patches on the sides of the rump. Unlikely to be confused within range. Females are trickier; note the orangey belly with a variable amount of smudgy white in the center (never as extensive as on female White-bellied Woodstar) and the thin whitish line that extends behind the eye and wraps around the neck (not as wide or buffy as on Little Woodstar). Often seen singly feeding in the canopy; visits feeders.

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