HUMMINGBIRDS   -   TROCHILIDAE   -   PART IV

Shining Sunbeam Aglaeactis cupripennis cupripennis Abra Barro Negro, Amazonas department, Peru. A common hummer of the high Andes from Colombia to Peru. The "shining" part is actually on the rump and not visible in this photo. (S6)

Mountain Velvetbreast Lafresnaya lafresnayi saul Dusky Starfrontlet Reserve, Antioquia dept., Colombia. Male. Widespread in high Andean forests from Venezuela to Peru. Unique among high Andean hummers with its strongly decurved bill. (S5)		Mountain Velvetbreast Lafresnaya lafresnayi saul Dusky Starfrontlet Reserve, Antioquia dept, Colombia. Juvenile male. (S5)

Mountain Velvetbreast Lafresnaya lafresnayi saul Guango Lodge, Napo province, Ecuador. Female. (P1f)

Bronzy Inca Coeligena coeligena colombiana Above Jardín, Antioquia department, Colombia. Female on a nest. (D3)

Brown Inca Coeligena wilsoni Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Male. A distinctive inca of the Chocó region. (S4)		Black Inca Coeligena prunellei RNA Reinita Cielo Azul, Santander department, Colombia. Female. Probably the rarest member of the genus. It can be seen regularly along the Lengerke trail, which passes through the ProAves Colombia Cerulean Warbler reserve. (D3)

Collared Inca Coeligena torquata torquata Guango lodge, Napo province, Ecuador. Male. (P1f)

Collared Inca Coeligena torquata fulgidigula Tandayapa Valley, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Female. (P1f)		Collared (Gould's) Inca Coeligena torquata inca Aguas Calientes, Cusco department, Peru. Probably a female. Lumped with Collared Inca (e.g. SACC) despite its very distinct plumage and disjunct range. (D2)

White-tailed Starfrontlet Coeligena phalerata El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta mtns., Colombia. Male. The most spectacular of the four hummers endemic to the Santa Marta range. Luckily it is also the most common one, and comes to the feeders near the lodge in the reserve. (S5)

Dusky Starfrontlet Coeligena orina Dusky Starfrontlet reserve, Antioquia department, Colombia. Two males. This is a fantasically beautiful hummer deserving of a better name - in fact, it's Spanish name "Colibrí del Sol" translates as "Hummingbird of the Sun" which is far cooler. This bird was rediscovered only in 2004, having gone unrecorded since the type specimen was collected in 1951. (S5)

Buff-winged Starfrontlet Coeligena lutetiae Yanacocha reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Male. (S4)

Buff-winged Starfrontlet Coeligena lutetiae Yanacocha reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Female. (S4)

Rainbow Starfrontlet Coeligena iris iris Utuana reserve, Loja province, Ecuador. Male. A big, unique hummer of the Tumbesian highlands of southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. One of the most striking birds of the region. (S5)

Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera ensifera Guango Lodge, Napo province, Ecuador. Male. Another shot, this time using natural light. (D3)

Great Sapphirewing Pterophanes cyanopterus peruvianus Yanacocha reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Juvenile male. One of the biggest hummingbirds; males are about 20cm (8 in). (S4)

Orange-throated Sunangel Heliangelus mavors Las Tabias, Mérida state, Venezuela. Male. Only found in a fairly small area of the northern Andes from Venezuela to northern Colombia. (P1f)

Amethyst-throated Sunangel Heliangelus amethysticollis laticlavius Tapichalaca reserve, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Male. (S5)

Gorgeted Sunangel Heliangelus strophianus Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Male. Closely related to the previous species, replacing it northward in the Chocó region. (S4)

Tourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis Guango Lodge, Napo province, Ecuador. Male. (P1f)		Tourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis Guango Lodge, Napo province, Ecuador. Female, with a white throat. (P1f)

Little Sunangel Heliangelus micraster micraster Tapichalaca reserve, Zamora-Chinchipe pr., Ecuador. Male. Closely related to the prevous species, and sometimes considered conspecific. The iridescence on the gorget usually appears red, but at some angles it looks pure green, like in this shot. In The Birds of Ecuador, this species is called Flame-throated Sunangel. (S5)		Little Sunangel Heliangelus micraster micraster Tapichalaca reserve, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Female. Female Little Sunangels can sometimes show all white throats, but Tourmalines never show much color on the gorget. (P1f)

Purple-throated Sunangel Heliangelus viola Utuana reserve, Loja province, Ecuador. Male. A big, beautiful sunangel restricted to the Tumbesian highlands of southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. (S5)

Purple-throated Sunangel Heliangelus viola Utuana reserve, Loja province, Ecuador. Probably a male. Females are very similar, being slightly duller and having slightly shorter tails. (S5)

Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis ACP Abra Patricia-Alto Nieva, Amazonas department, Peru. Male. A gorgeous hummer endemic to stunted forest on outlying ridges of the Andes in northern Peru and southern Ecuador. I don't use a lot of flash in my photography, but in this case I found it essential; the bird was so dark that it was impossible to expose the background properly without using a bit of flash on the hummer. (S6f)