| Purple-bibbed whitetip | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male in Colombia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Urosticte |
| Species: | U. benjamini |
| Binomial name | |
| Urosticte benjamini (Bourcier, 1851) | |
 | |
The purple-bibbed whitetip (Urosticte benjamini) is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. [3] [4]
The purple-bibbed whitetip and rufous-vented whitetip (Urosticte ruficrissa) have been treated as conspecific and as distinct species, each by multiple authors. Since the early 2000s there is consensus that they are species in their own right. They are the only members of their genus and both are monotypic. [5] [3] [6] [4]
The purple-bibbed whitetip is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 3.8 to 4.2 g (0.13 to 0.15 oz). Both sexes have a medium-length straight black bill and a prominent white stripe behind the eye. Both have glittering green upperparts. Males have a violet lower throat white below it and a grayish belly with green spots. The tail is dusky bronze; the central feathers have wide white tips that appear as an oval spot. Females have white underparts heavily spotted with green. The tail is dusky bronze with purple near the end and white tips on the outer feathers. Juveniles are similar to females with the addition of brown edges on the head feathers. [7]
The purple-bibbed whitetip is found on the Pacific slope of the Andes from Colombia's Chocó Department south into Ecuador as far as Pichincha Province. It inhabits the interior and edges of montane forest, generally at elevations between 700 and 1,600 m (2,300 and 5,200 ft). In Ecuador it is most numerous between 1,200 and 1,400 m (3,900 and 4,600 ft). [7]
The purple-bibbed whitetip is sedentary in Colombia but in Ecuador moves to lower elevations after breeding. [7]
The purple-bibbed whitetip mostly forages in the forest interior, from near the ground to below the canopy. It collects nectar from a variety of flowering plants including bromeliads and members of families Ericaceae, Fabaceae, and Rubiaceae. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures insects by gleaning from vegetation and hawking from a perch. [7]
The purple-bibbed whitetip's breeding season in Ecuador spans from January to April; it has not been defined in Colombia. It builds a cup nest from moss and ferns, and typically places it in a shrub or vines in a steep ravine about 2 to 4 m (7 to 10 ft) above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 16 to 18 days; the time to fledging is not known. [7]
The purple-bibbed whitetip makes a "mellow, nasal-sounding fast twittering 'tweetweetweetwee...'" that can sound like "a laughing chatter". While feeding in flight it also makes "single lower-pitched scratchy notes, 'chrrrrr'". Another call is a "very high-pitched 'pseee'." [7]
The IUCN has assessed the purple-bibbed whitetip as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] Though it has a restricted range, it is considered common, and occurs in some protected areas. [7]
The wire-crested thorntail is a hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in humid forests in the Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Bolivia.
The purple-crowned fairy is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found from southeastern Mexico south into northern Peru.
The green thorntail is a small hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama.
The bronze-tailed plumeleteer is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The purple-throated woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The green-bellied hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds” tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The golden-tailed sapphire is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The buff-winged starfrontlet is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The white-tailed starfrontlet is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northeastern Colombia.
Humboldt's sapphire or Humboldt's hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The shining-green hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
The Tumbes hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
The olive-spotted hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The spangled coquette, coquette pailletée (French), coqueta coronada, or coqueta lentejuelada is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The green-tailed goldenthroat is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, and possibly Ecuador.
The great sapphirewing is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The many-spotted hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Argentina.
The rufous-vented whitetip is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The white-throated daggerbill, white-throated wedgebill, or western wedge-billed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
The green-backed hillstar, formerly included in the white-tailed hillstar, is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
