The violet-tailed sylph is another of the glitzy hummingbirds of Ecuador. It is another Choco-endemic bird, found only in the cloud forests of the western Andes in western Ecuador and Colombia.
The male has a shiny green crown and back that becomes violet-blue on the rump, a buffy spot behind the eye, a violet-blue gorget (upper throat or breast) and green underparts. The inner tail feathers are short and the outer ones are very long and forked with iridescent metallic violet and blue tips.
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| None of these are great pictures of males, but several of them do catch the length and color of the long tail. |
The female is very different. She has a glittery blue crown and a white spot behind the eye, a white throat with green spots which is separated from an orange belly by a white band.
The tails on your first and last photos look like they have dramatically different lengths. Maybe it is just the angle?
ReplyDeleteThe difference between male and female,
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