Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer

The chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer (Diglossa gloriosissima) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. == Taxonomy and systematics == The species was first formally described in 1912 by the American ornithologist Frank M. Chapman based on a type series of ten specimens collected in the Andes west of Popayán in 1911 by W.B. Richardson and Leo E. Miller. The species is considered monotypic by The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, but the IOC World Bird List recognizes two subspecies: D. g. gloriosissima (Chapman 1912) – Western Andes, west of Popayán, Cauca Department D. g. boylei (Graves 1990) – Paramillo Massif and Páramo Frontino, Antioquia Department The generic name Diglossa is derived from the Ancient Greek diglossos (double-tongued; speaking two languages). The species epithet gloriosissima comes from the Latin gloriosissimus (most glorious), presumably because it is much larger than the similar Mérida flowerpiercer (Diglossa gloriosa) that Chapman compared his specimens with. == Description == Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercers, like the other birds in the genus Diglossa, are small montane tanagers. Their slender upturned bills…