Buff Winged Starfrontlet

Copyright: monacoeye • Yanacocha, Ecuador, February • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Buff Winged Starfrontlet
Latin: Coeligena lutetiae
Other: Frentiestrella alianteada (Es)
Family: Trochilidae • Hummingbirds
Range: Andes; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar:

Buff-winged Starfrontlets are one of the easiest hummingbirds to recognise - they are the only hummingbirds in Ecuador with buff-coloured “epaulets”.

Male Buff-winged Starfrontlets have purple throats (below), distinguishing them from females, which have buffy throats.

These are high-altitude hummers - I saw them on the Yanacocha trail at 3500m.

Below: Male Buff-winged Starfrontlet has purple throat.


Below: Male Buff-winged Starfrontlet.


Below: Female Buff-winged Starfrontlet has buffy throat.


Below: Female Buff-winged Starfrontlet at feeder.


Below: Male Buff-winged Starfrontlet showing green flash on forehead.