Therufous-vented whitetip (Urosticte ruficrissa) is a species ofhummingbird in the "brilliants", tribeHeliantheini in subfamilyLesbiinae. It is found inColombia,Ecuador andPeru.^[3][4]

Rufous-vented whitetip
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Urosticte
Species:	U. ruficrissa
Binomial name
Urosticte ruficrissa Lawrence, 1864

The rufous-vented whitetip andpurple-bibbed whitetip (Urosticte benjamini) have been treated asconspecific and as distinct species, each by multiple authors. Since the early 2000s there is consensus that they are species in their own right. They are the only members of their genus and both aremonotypic.^[5][3][6][4]

The rufous-vented whitetip is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 4 to 4.2 g (0.14 to 0.15 oz). Both sexes have a medium-length straight black bill and a prominent white stripe behind the eye. Both have shining green upperparts and a forked tail, though the female's is not as deeply indented as the male's. Males have shining green underparts with buffy undertailcoverts. The tail is dusky bronze; the central feathers have wide white tips. Females have white underparts spotted with green. The tail is dusky bronze with white tips on the outermost feathers. Juveniles are similar to females with the addition of brown edges on the head feathers.^[7]

The rufous-vented whitetip is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from Colombia'sHuila andNariño departments south through eastern Ecuador into Peru'sDepartment of San Martín. It inhabits the interior and edges of partly openmontane forest andcloudforest between elevations of 1,600 and 2,400 m (5,200 and 7,900 ft).^[7]

The rufous-vented whitetip is generally sedentary but locally moves to higher elevations after breeding.^[7]

The rufous-vented whitetip mostly forages from near the ground to the forest's mid level. It collects nectar from a variety of flowering plants includingbromeliads and members of generaClusia andPalicourea. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures insects byhawking from a perch and sometimes by gleaning from vegetation.^[7]

The rufous-vented whitetip's breeding season spans from January to April. It builds a cup nest of moss and typically places it in vines 2 to 4 m (7 to 10 ft) above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 18 days; fledging occurs 22 to 24 days after hatch.^[7]

The rufous-vented whitetip makes a "mellow, fast twittering 'tweetweetweetwee...'" that can sound like "a laughing chatter". While feeding in flight it also makes "a single lower-pitched scratchy note 'tzrrrrr'".^[7]

TheIUCN has assessed the rufous-vented whitetip as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.^[1] It is generally uncommon throughout its restricted range. It occurs in several protected areas in Colombia but the Ecuadorean cloudforest is heavily logged.^[7]