Tyrian Metaltail
The Tyrian metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Lesbiinae, the brilliants and coquettes. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. == Taxonomy and systematics == The Tyrian metaltail has these seven subspecies: M. t. districta Bangs (1899) M. t. chloropogon Cabanis & Heine (1860) M. t. oreopola Todd (1913) M. t. tyrianthina Loddiges (1832) M. t. quitensis Gould (1861) M. t. septentrionalis Hartert, E. (1899) M. t. smaragdinicollis d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye (1838) In the early twentieth century some authors treated M. t. chloropogon and M. t. smaragdinicollis as full species but that treatment has not been widely accepted. == Description == The Tyrian metaltail is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 2.7 to 5.1 g (0.10 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, black bill. The male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts and gray underparts with pale fringes on the feathers. It has an emerald green throat and a slightly forked glistening bronze tail. The female is also bottle green above. Its throat and upper breast are ochre-orange with olive green spots and the lower breast and belly are…
Sangay National Park
Cebadas, Ecuador
+39 birds+7 mammals
Where the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes plummet toward the Amazon basin, a landscape of startling contrasts unfolds across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPodocarpus National Park
Zamora, Ecuador
+94 birds+7 mammals
Where the Andes fracture into a thousand misty valleys, Ecuador’s southern highlands harbour one of the continent’s most biodiverse protected […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKYacuri National Park
Las Juntas, Ecuador
+24 birds+1 mammals
Where the Andes plunge toward Peru’s border, granite ridges pierce a landscape of cloud forest and high-altitude páramo that defines […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAntisana National Park
Quijos, Ecuador
+141 birds+21 mammals
Where the Andes spine rises above 4,700 meters, volcanic peaks pierce perpetual cloud forests in Ecuador’s eastern cordillera. This sprawling […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCotopaxi National Park
Mulaló, Ecuador
+12 birds+7 mammals
Where volcanic ash meets montane forest, the landscape transforms across nearly 500 square kilometers of Ecuador’s most dramatic terrain. Cotopaxi […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCajas National Park
Cuenca, Ecuador
+100 birds+10 mammals
Where granite peaks pierce the Andean cloud forest between 3,150 and 4,450 meters, more than 270 glacial lakes catch the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Chingaza National Park
Junín, Colombia
150+ birds
Where the Andes rise steeply above the Bogotá plateau, cloud forests cling to slopes that oscillate between mist-shrouded valleys and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Pisba National Park
Socotá, Colombia
+12 birds+2 mammals
Where the Andes rise in their most dramatic expression, alpine moorland stretches across windswept ridges at elevations exceeding 3,600 metres, […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPuracé National Natural Park
Puracé, Colombia
150+ birds+5 mammals
Where the Andes rear up in southwestern Colombia, volcanic peaks pierce clouds at over 4,700 metres, their flanks cloaked in […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNatural Sumapaz National Park
Cubarral, Colombia
150+ birds+12 mammals
Where páramo grasslands rise and mists cling to crystalline peaks, one of South America’s most biodiverse mountain reserves unfolds across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKEl Tamá National Park
Toledo, Colombia
+37 birds+2 mammals
Where the Andes plunge steeply into Venezuela’s borderlands, a vast montane wilderness unfolds across nearly 3,800 square kilometers of pristine […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHuascarán National Park
Independencia, Peru
+108 birds+9 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust above 6,000 metres and perpetual snowfields feed glacial torrents, the Andes reveal their most dramatic architecture. […]
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