Rufous-gaped Hillstar Urochroa bougueri White-tailed Hillstar Urochroa leucura

Rufous-gaped Hillstar Urochroa bougueri
(aka White-tailed Hillstar Urochroa bougueri bougueri)

Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Montezuma, Tatama, Risaralda, Colombia, April 2012 - click for larger image

Montezuma, Tatamá, Risaralda, Colombia
April 2012

The Rufous-gaped Hillstar is distributed on the Pacific slope of the Western Cordillera of south-west Colombia and north-west Ecuador. It is found in forest and at forest edges often associated with streams.

Previously regarded as a sub-species of White-tailed Hillstar U. bougueri bougueri it has now been split by HBW and Birdlife International from the other sub-species and given the English name of Rufous-gaped Hillstar. The White-tailed Hillstar U. leucura is distributed on the eastern slopes of the Andes in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and north-eastern Peru.

The bases for the split are the well developed rufous gape, lacking or minimal in U. leucura; the dusky-bronze crown and back cf. glittering dark green; the blue-black central upper tail cf. bronzy-green; a less violet breast patch and less white on the tail.

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