Speckled Hummingbird

Overview

The Adelomyia melanogenys is a species of hummingbird and the sole member of its genus. Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, it is a very common resident of moderate elevations in the Andes.

Identification

• Approximately 8 cm (3 inches) in length from bill to tip of tail, with no visible difference between males and females.
• Upper plumage is glossy green/bronze, while the underside is pale with green and bronze specks.
• Features a distinctive black cheek patch below the eye with a white stripe above.

Habitat

Inhabits Neotropical montane cloud forests at elevations between 1,000 and 2,500 meters, ranging across the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Its range extends to some isolated montane forests in western Ecuador and Venezuela, including one coastal population in the Chongón Colonche cordillera of Ecuador at 600 m.

Diet

Feeds on the nectar of flowers, often near the ground, extracting it from short-tubed flowers or holes at the base of long-tubed ones. It forages solitarily and does not gather with others, even on flowering trees. Like other hummingbirds, it likely consumes insects for additional nutrients and may collect small insects found on or in its nest.

Did you know?

After the young hatch, the adult ceases entering the nest and perches nearby to watch for predators, a behaviour that is considered curious as it may alert predators to the nest's location.