Blue-capped Puffleg Eriocnemis glaucopoides Scientific name definitions

The southernmost member of the genus Eriocnemis, the Blue-capped Puffleg is found in central Bolivia south to northwest Argentina, where it inhabits grassy and shrubby slopes at temperate elevations. Males are largely dark green with a blue forehead and throat, a blue-black, forked tail, dark wings, a white ‘puff’ legs, whereas females are largely pale orange below. Very little is currently known concerning the species’ ecology and behavior, and the Blue-capped Puffleg is generally considered to be rare to locally common within its rather restricted range.

9–11 cm (1 Fjeldså, J., and N. Krabbe (1990). Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and Apollo Books, Copenhagen and Svendborg, Denmark. Close ); 4·0–4·5 g. A comparatively small member of the genus Eriocnemis (2 Schuchmann, K.-L., Weller, A.-A. and Heynen, I. (2001). Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genus Eriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae). Journal of Ornithology. 142(4): 433–481. Close ). Bill straight, black; the downy white leg puffs are not as large as in congeners. Male dark green above with strongly glittering blue forehead; underparts golden green, becoming bluish-green on the lower breast, undertail-coverts are shining purplish-blue; tail long, blue-black. Female has underparts brightly cinnamon-buff, and green discs on sides and vent, with pale buff fringes to undertail-coverts (2 Schuchmann, K.-L., Weller, A.-A. and Heynen, I. (2001). Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genus Eriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae). Journal of Ornithology. 142(4): 433–481. Close ). On average, male has longer wings (50·8 mm, range 48–52·8 mm, versus 50·2 mm, 49–51·6 mm, respectively) and tail (42·2 mm, range 40–43·7 mm, versus 36·7 mm, 34·9–39 mm, respectively), but shorter bill (22 mm, range 20·3–23·7 mm, versus 23·4 mm, 22·8–24·3 mm, respectively) and central rectrix (23·1 mm, range 21·8–23·8 mm, versus 24·3 mm, 23·2–25·3 mm, respectively) than female; thus tail appears more deeply forked (2 Schuchmann, K.-L., Weller, A.-A. and Heynen, I. (2001). Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genus Eriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae). Journal of Ornithology. 142(4): 433–481. Close ). Juvenile male lacks glittering blue on forehead.

C & SE Bolivia (S from La Paz and Cochabamba) and NW Argentina (Salta and Tucumán).

Temperate zones at elevations of 1500–3400 m (3 Herzog, S.K., Fjeldså, J., Kessler, M. and Balderrama, J.A. (1999). Ornithological surveys in the Cordillera Cocapata, Dpto. Cochabamba, Bolivia, a transition zone between humid and dry intermontane Andean habitats. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 119(3): 162–177. Close ); records are most frequent between 2000 and 2500 m. Preferred habitat is humid slopes covered with grass and dense shrubbery, and the edges of cloudforest. In Argentina sometimes also in less humid habitats dominated by Myrtaceae and stunted trees.

Sedentary, but altitudinal movements during wet and dry seasons in NW Argentina (e.g., only seasonally present in parts of Salta) (2 Schuchmann, K.-L., Weller, A.-A. and Heynen, I. (2001). Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genus Eriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae). Journal of Ornithology. 142(4): 433–481. Close ) and same might be true in parts of Bolivia (3 Herzog, S.K., Fjeldså, J., Kessler, M. and Balderrama, J.A. (1999). Ornithological surveys in the Cordillera Cocapata, Dpto. Cochabamba, Bolivia, a transition zone between humid and dry intermontane Andean habitats. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 119(3): 162–177. Close ).

Only described vocalization appears to be a high-pitched “zee-zee” (1 Fjeldså, J., and N. Krabbe (1990). Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and Apollo Books, Copenhagen and Svendborg, Denmark. Close ).

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Argentine and South Bolivian Yungas EBA. Generally considered to be rare but is locally common, e.g. at R Cocapata and Pujyani (Cochabamba, Bolivia) (3 Herzog, S.K., Fjeldså, J., Kessler, M. and Balderrama, J.A. (1999). Ornithological surveys in the Cordillera Cocapata, Dpto. Cochabamba, Bolivia, a transition zone between humid and dry intermontane Andean habitats. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 119(3): 162–177. Close ). Present in Calilegua and El Rey (2 Schuchmann, K.-L., Weller, A.-A. and Heynen, I. (2001). Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genus Eriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae). Journal of Ornithology. 142(4): 433–481. Close ) National Parks, Argentina.