White Sided Flowerpiercer

Copyright: monacoeye • Santa Lucia, Ecuador • Feb 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Sided Flowerpiercer
Latin: Diglossa albilatera
Other: Pinchaflor flanciblanco (Es)
Family: Thraupidae • Tanagers, Flowerpiercers
Range: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Similar: Black Flowerpiercer

Above a female White-sided Flowerpiercer, which is light brown with a fleck of white on its side just visible behind the bend of the wing. The male, below, is black, with the same white fleck.

White-sided Flowerpiercers were easy to see at the Santa Lucia Reserve (1800m), fog and rain notwithstanding, as they visited a flowering bush outside the lodge every day I was there. I also saw males at San Isidro.

Below, male White-sided Flowerpiercer - uses hooked bill to pierce the base of flowers.



The White-sided Flowerpiercer below did not show his white side from all angles, and so could be confused with the Black Flowerpiercer. However he moved around enough to eventually show the white side.