Blue-tufted Starthroat

Identification

The blue-tufted starthroat is a small hummingbird, measuring 12.6 to 13 cm in length and weighing just 5 to 6.5 grams. Both sexes share a long, decurved black bill and a distinctive small white spot behind the eye, along with a forked tail, though the male's fork is more deeply indented than the female's.

Breeding males are particularly striking, with an emerald green crown, nape, and upper back, while the rest of the upperparts gleam with shining coppery green. The throat displays a glittering violet iridescence, and the underparts and elongated neck feathers are iridescent ultramarine—the "blue tufts" that give the species its name. Non-breeding males lose this splendor, becoming grayish below like females. Females have coppery green upperparts with a gray throat and underparts, a white line running down the belly, and green spots on the flanks. Their tail is bronze-green above with black tips on central feathers and shining blue-green below with white tips on the outer feathers.

Range & Habitat

The blue-tufted starthroat's core range spans eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and northern Uruguay, with additional records from Colombia and Peru. A single undocumented sighting exists from Ecuador. The species inhabits open landscapes including forest edges, cerrado, and grasslands, making it a bird of transitional and semi-open environments rather than dense forest.

Behaviour & Diet

This hummingbird feeds primarily on nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants, and is one of the major pollinators of Dolichandra cynanchoides, a flowering vine. It typically forages between 2 and 8 meters above the ground. Males actively defend flower patches, and the species supplements its nectar diet by hawking for small insects in flight. The blue-tufted starthroat does not appear to have a conventional song, though it does produce a descending, pure-whistled "tseep" call.

Breeding occurs from November to March. Females construct cup nests from soft fibers covered with lichen, usually positioned 3 to 6 meters above the ground. A typical clutch consists of two eggs, which the female incubates for 15 to 16 days. Fledging occurs 20 to 25 days after hatching. The species' movement patterns remain poorly understood, though records at the edges of its range suggest possible post-breeding migration or dispersal.

Best Time & Places to See It

The breeding season from November to March offers the best opportunity to observe males in their brilliant plumage. The species is considered rare to locally common across its large range and occurs in some protected areas. The core range in eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina represents your best bet for encounters, particularly in open habitats such as forest edges and cerrado.

Photography Tips

Focus on photographing males during the breeding season when their iridescent throat and ultramarine underparts are most vibrant. The bird's preference for foraging 2 to 8 meters above ground makes it accessible to photographers with moderate telephoto lenses. Look for individuals defending flower patches, as males remain relatively stationary while feeding territorially. Backlighting will best reveal the glittering violet throat and iridescent blue tufts that make this species so visually distinctive.