Slaty Flowerpiercer Diglossa plumbea Scientific name definitions

Formerly considered conspecific with the South American Rusty Flowerpiercer (Diglossa sittoides), the Slaty Flowerpiercer is found from northern Nicaragua to western Panama. Over the majority of this range it is the only flowerpiercer, and the species is therefore easily identified by the strange (in a small passerine), pronounced hook to the upper mandible. Males are predominantly blue-gray, whilst females are basically brown with paler underparts. They are found principally in semi-open wooded habitats, including gardens, above approximately 1300 m.

11 cm; 9·3–10·1 g. Small, plain grey or brown flowerpiercer with slender and slightly recurved bill , lower mandible more obviously upturned than upper mandible, upper mandible with sharp hook at tip. Male has crown and upperparts blackish-grey with faint bluish tinge, tail blackish-grey, lesser and median upperwing-coverts dusky grey, greater coverts and flight-feathers blackish with slightly paler edgings; throat and underparts dark slate-grey, slightly paler than upperparts, and palest on centre of belly; iris dark brown; bill black above, mostly pale flesh-grey below, with darker tip; legs pinkish-grey. Female is plain greyish-olive above , wing-coverts and flight-feathers darker and narrowly edged olive; throat and underparts light greyish-olive, paler than upperparts and with hint of buff streaking on throat and breast, belly whitish, undertail-coverts tinged cinnamon; much like female of D. baritula. Subadult male is very like female or slightly darker.

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.

Highlands of Costa Rica (from C Guanacaste) S to W Panama (E to Veraguas).

Nectar; also substantial quantities of insects. Occurs singly, in pairs, and occasionally in family groups that includes adult pair and an offspring. Very active; visits wide variety of flowers, both native and introduced species, and is especially fond of certain flowering shrubs and epiphytes. Feeds by hooking upper mandible over, or into, a flower corolla to hold it firm while it uses sharp and slightly upturned lower mandible to puncture base of corolla, and then extracts nectar with its brush-tipped tongue. Foraging movements accomplished with remarkable swiftness, each flower visit lasting little more than a second before the bird flits to another, nearby flower and repeats the process. Also gleans small insects from foliage or chases them in short, quick aerial sorties. Notably territorial; pairs or non-breeding singletons will vigorously defend favourite flower patches against conspecifics, and are, themselves, frequently attacked by hummingbirds (Trochilidae) attempting to use or defend same resources. Often avoid hummingbird attacks by retreating into dense foliage. Reported also as following regular foraging routes in the manner of some “trap-lining” hummingbirds.

Both calls and song weak and not far-carrying. Call a high, thin, weak “tsip” or a piercing “tsweep”; several such notes run together in sharp twitter, especially in interactions. Song , in Costa Rica, a varied high, thin, rapidly delivered medley of slurred whistles, short warbles, chips and weak trills, “see-chew see-chew see-chew seer seer surrtseep, tsee tseew tsewery tseer tsewery sewy tsink-tsink-tsink”, with tinkling quality. In Panama, song descriptions similar, songs lasting c. 2 seconds and often given from only a few metres up in small shrub.