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Emerald-bellied Puffleg Eriocnemis aline Scientific name definitions

Iris Heynen and Peter F. D. Boesman
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 1999

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Introduction

The smallest of the pufflegs, the Emerald-bellied Puffleg is dark green above with bluish-emerald underparts and an emerald rump. Its clean, white leg puffs are perhaps disproportionately enormous, and it also has a white chest patch dotted with green. Emerald-bellied Pufflegs live in cloud forests, especially around glades and oak-filled areas. They spend most of their time in the understory of the forest interior where they gather nectar from low flowers in areas of dense vegetation.

Field Identification

8–9 cm; 4·0–4·5 g. Bill black, straight; very large downy white leg puffs. Male upperparts dark shining green with a narrow, glittering bluish-green frontlet; underparts also glittering bluish-green with a large white patch on central breast, more or less spotted with green discs; the rather short and slightly forked tail is green and more strongly iridescent on its underside. Sexes similar, but female lacks glittering frontlet, and tends to have shorter wings and tail. Juvenile probably similar to female. Race dybowskii distinctly larger and has glittering frontlet much reduced; in addition, the white breast patch is less sharply defined.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Closely related to E. mirabilis, from which it is separated by the arid valley of R Patia. Specific name commonly misspelt alinae; both names published by same author just weeks apart; present name has priority (1). Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Eriocnemis aline aline Scientific name definitions

Eriocnemis aline aline
E. a. aline +1

Distribution

SC and E Andes of Colombia (S from Boyacá) to E Andes of Ecuador.
SUBSPECIES

Eriocnemis aline dybowskii Scientific name definitions

Eriocnemis aline dybowskii
E. a. dybowskii

Distribution

E slope of Andes of N and C Peru (S to Pasco).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Wet montane forests of tropical and subtropical zones; prefers humid vegetation like cloudforests, where frequently seen in small glades. Less often found at forest edges and rather avoids more open habitats. Usually recorded at altitudes of 2300–2800 m.

Movement

Sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Mainly takes nectar from flowers at 1–3 m above ground inside dense vegetation. Small insects are an additional food source.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Poorly known. Call when hovering a single, slightly buzzy, metallic note, “tzit”, repeated at irregular intervals.

Breeding

Nest undescribed; no information on breeding season.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. CITES II. Distribution rather local; one reason for this might be habitat loss, since the species seems to depend on humid forests which have already suffered heavy damage, and are currently under threat of further deforestation.
Distribution of the Emerald-bellied Puffleg - Range Map
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  • Migration
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  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Emerald-bellied Puffleg

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Heynen, I. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Emerald-bellied Puffleg (Eriocnemis aline), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.embpuf1.01
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