Image via Macaulay Library
White-tailed Starfrontlet
- Scientific name
- Coeligena phalerata
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Conservation status
- Least concern
- Habitat
- Forest mixed
- Wing shape
- Pointed
- Tail shape
- Notched
Where it came from
The White-tailed Starfrontlet, Coeligena phalerata, is a species of hummingbird endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in northern Colombia. It was formally described in 1846 by Louis Fraser, an English zoologist and curator who worked extensively with specimens brought back by explorers during the mid-nineteenth-century surge in European biological discovery. Like many hummingbirds cataloged during this era, it became a point of fascination for naturalists due to its highly localized range and distinctive plumage.
The bird's design is defined by its evolutionary adaptation to high-altitude cloud forests, featuring a long, straight bill specialized for reaching the nectar of specific Andean flora. Its aesthetic is marked by a deep, iridescent green body and a signature white tail patch, which distinguishes it from other members of the genus Coeligena. As a rare and range-restricted species, it has historically been categorized as near-threatened by the IUCN, serving as a critical indicator species for the conservation of the unique Sierra Nevada ecosystem.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
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About White-tailed Starfrontlet
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