Purple-backed Sunbeam Aglaeactis aliciae Scientific name definitions

This endangered hummingbird is found only in a small region of Peru. Much of its habitat has been destroyed, but populations remain near the Río Marañon in La Libertad and in the Chusgon Valley. It favors partially open areas of Andean slopes that feature alder trees (Alnus) or shrubs, and it primarily feeds on nectar of flowering mistletoe (Tristerix longebrachteatum) and insects. Purple-backed Sunbeams appear mostly dark brown with white on the upper chest, lower throat, and face. Their lower backs are purple in good lighting.

12–13 cm; 7·3–8·3 g. Male has short, straight, black bill ; head and mantle earth brown, lower back and rump iridescent amethyst becoming golden-green on uppertail-coverts; lores, chin, throat , central breast and pectoral tufts white, otherwise darkish brown ; rectrices bronze, white at base. Female similar to male but iridescent parts on back reduced to uppertail-coverts or completely lacking. Juvenile similar to adult female but has buffy spots on lores, chin, throat and central belly; throat can even be completely buff-coloured; head feathers fringed buff.

N Peru: small area of E slope of Andes at upper Marañón drainage, in La Libertad. Recorded in 2014 in neighbouring N Ancash (1 Nuñez Cortez, E. (2015). Primer registro del Rayo-de-Sol de Dorso Púrpura (Aglaeactis aliciae) para el departamento de Ancash, Perú. Boletín UNOP. 10(1): 51–54. In Spanish. Close ).

Semi-open Andean slopes, usually with Alnus acuminata trees and / or Oreocallis grandiflora shrubs at 3000–3500 m (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ).

Nectar of Oreocallis grandiflora bushes (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ), flowering mistletoe Tristerix longebrachteatum (hemiparasitic on Alnus acuminata) and small insects. Food spectrum and foraging behaviour are little known.

Very similar to A. cupripennis. Presumed song  a repeated phrase of 3–5 high-pitched chirping notes, e.g. “tsip .. tsee .. chew .. chew ....... tsip .. tsee .. tsee .. chew-chew...”, or similar.

Few data available. Season unclear; female on nest recorded in May; males with slightly enlarged testes recorded in Jun; juveniles collected in Feb, Mar and 20 Jun (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ).

ENDANGERED. CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Marañón Valley EBA. Until recently, known from c. 20 localities in La Libertad province (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ), within a global range estimated at 180 km² (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ) BirdLife International (2016) Species factsheet: Aglaeactis aliciae. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 18/08/2016. . A 2014 photographic record from adjacent N Ancash province extends its distribution 40 km S of previously known sites (1 Nuñez Cortez, E. (2015). Primer registro del Rayo-de-Sol de Dorso Púrpura (Aglaeactis aliciae) para el departamento de Ancash, Perú. Boletín UNOP. 10(1): 51–54. In Spanish. Close ) and lends support to an older unconfirmed sighting from the Llanganuco area of Ancash (3 Fjeldså, J., and M. Kessler (1996). Conserving the Biological Diversity of Polylepis Woodlands of the Highland of Peru and Bolivia. A Contribution to Sustainable Natural Resource Management in the Andes. NORDECO, Copenhagen, Denmark. Close ), c. 100 km further S still. Classed as a threatened species on the basis of restricted range and limited information available regarding current condition of habitat. Previously considered Vulnerable and, briefly (because of evidence that its known habitat, Alnus acuminata woodland, was being replaced by Eucalyptus plantations), Critically Endangered. Main threat is habitat loss caused by burning to increase pasture for cattle grazing (2 Lambert, F.R. and Angulo, F. (2007). Distribution, status and notes on the ecology of Purple-backed Sunbeam Agaeactis aliciae in north Peru. Cotinga. 28: 21-26. Close ). Lack of information on ecological requirements makes determination of conservation status difficult. May, like congeners, tolerate some degree of habitat change.