Red-tailed Comet

Overview

The red-tailed comet (Sappho sparganurus) is a medium-sized hummingbird belonging to the coquette subfamily. It is assessed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, with a population believed to be stable across a very large range.

Identification

• Males are 19 to 20 cm long with a long, deeply forked tail that appears reddish purple or green depending on the light, while females are 12 to 14 cm with shorter tails and duller plumage.
• Both sexes have a black bill and black legs; males feature a shining green head and golden green gorget, whereas females have pale buff underparts with small green speckles.
• Song consists of a short, rapid, jumbled chatter, along with unmelodic 'tjrrrt' sounds and harsh 'tsha' or 'zack' notes that may be repeated at intervals of more than one second.

Habitat

Found primarily in Argentina and Bolivia, with possible presence in Chile and Peru, the species inhabits arid montane scrublands on the eastern slope of the Andes and in Andean valleys. It also occurs in Polylepis woodlands and scattered trees with bushy understoreys at elevations mostly between 1,500 and 4,200 m.

Diet

The bird feeds primarily on nectar, collecting it both while hovering and while perched, and supplements its diet with small arthropods captured in flight or gleaned from vegetation. Males defend flower patches as feeding territories.

Did you know?

One female was documented beginning a second brood in a separate nest before her first brood had fledged, successfully raising all four young in nests built near each other under the eave of a house.