Green-backed Hillstar Urochroa leucura Scientific name definitions

Green-backed Hillstar is a large, dark colored, long-billed hummingbird of the northern Andes. Both sexes are dark coppery green above, with a blue throat and breast and a gray belly. The tail also is extensively white, although the central pair of rectrices are dark; therefore, Green-backed Hillstar has more white in the tail than does Rufous-gaped Hillstar (Urochroa bougueri) of the west slope of the Andes, and lacks a rufous submoustachial stripe. The two species of Urochroa hillstars are not closely related to the Oreotrochilus hillstars, and also differ in habitat preferences: species of Oreotrochilus occupy puna and paramo grasslands above tree line, whereas Green-backed and Rufous-gaped Hillstars occur in humid forest on the lower slopes of the Andes. Green-backed Hillstar is uncommon and not well known. It forages on nectar and aerial insects in the under- and midstory of humid montane forest edge and forest clearings, often near water.

13–14 cm (including bill 3 cm); 8·7 g (1 Parker, T.A. and Parker, S.A. (1982). Behavioral and distributional notes on some unusual birds of a lower montane cloud forest in Peru. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 102(2): 63–70. Close ). Previously considered to be conspecific with U. bougueri (see Taxonomy). Sexes alike. Long, straight, black bill; upperparts  bronzy green  ; throat and breast  iridescent blue  , belly dull grey; central tail feathers bronzy, others white, dusky grey on outer web. Adult female reportedly slightly duller than male. Juvenile similar to adult but head feathers with buff fringes.

Hitherto considered conspecific with Rufous-gaped Hillstar (Urochroa bougueri), but split suggested by some recent authors (2 Ridgely, R. S., and P. J. Greenfield (2001). The Birds of Ecuador. Volumes 1 and 2. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ) and upheld on account of little or no vs broadly developed dull rufous gape (3); glittering dark green vs dusky-bronze crown to back (3); bronzy-green vs blue-black central uppertail (2); male breast patch more violet, less deep turquoise-blue (ns[2]); more white in tail generally, including on outermost rectrix (ns[2]). Monotypic.

E slope of Andes in S Colombia (Nariño; sight record from Caquetá), E Ecuador and NE Peru (N San Martín).

No reported differences from U. bougueri.

Presumed song  is a continuous series of single “tseee”, “tsing” or “seeuw” notes, at a rate of c. 1–1·5 notes/second. Calls include a liquid “twit”, sometimes repeated in long sequences, similar to U. bougueri.

Nothing known, but a bird collected in NE Peru in Sept was in breeding condition (1 Parker, T.A. and Parker, S.A. (1982). Behavioral and distributional notes on some unusual birds of a lower montane cloud forest in Peru. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 102(2): 63–70. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Common in cloudforests and along streams, being generally considered to be fairly common in Colombia, but uncommon to rare in Ecuador and rare and local in NE Peru. Accepts man-made habitats, such as pastures, provided some forested patches remain.