Violet-tailed sylph

The violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) is a species of hummingbird. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. This sylph lives in areas from 300–2,100 metres (980–6,890 ft) in elevation, though typically above 900 metres (3,000 ft) on the west slope of the Andes.[2] A sylph is a mythological air spirit.

Violet-tailed sylph
A male in NW Ecuador
A female in NW Ecuador
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Aglaiocercus
Species:
A. coelestis
Binomial name
Aglaiocercus coelestis
(Gould, 1861)

Description

Males average around 7 inches (180 mm) in length, while females average around 3.8 inches (97 mm).

Song

"...a rapid, double-sounding tez-it at 1 per sec for up to several minutes..."[2]

Behavior

"Solitary and usually low inside forest at small clumps of flowers. Hovers or occasionally clings to feed and does not gather at flowering trees." [2]

References


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