Andean Hillstar Oreotrochilus estella

Andean Hillstar Oreotrochilus estella
Chilean name: Picaflor de la puna

Male Andean Hillstar, Putre, Chile, February 2007 - click for larger image

Putre, Chile and Cumbemayo, Cajamarca, Peru

The Andean Hillstar is distributed in the Andes of south-west Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile and north-western Argentina. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in puna grasslands, often near habitation and normally at between 3500 and 5000 metres.

The male, seen here in photos 1, 2 and 5, has an emerald green throat with a black border to the white breast and a chestnut belly stripe. Photo 2 shows some pollen on the bird's crown. The female, seen in photos 3 and 4 is brown above and grey below with some greenish speckling on the throat.

When breeding the females are territorial and build nests glued onto the rock surface of ravines. The males are not territorial and move around nearby grassland.

Female Andean Hillstar, Putre, Chile, February 2007 - click for larger image

Note that the bird normally feeds while perched rather than when hovering. This is due to the energy required to hover in the thin atmosphere at these altitudes.

Andean Hillstar, Cumbemayo, Cajamarca, Peru, October 2018 - click for larger image

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