| Hillstar | |
|---|---|
_perched.jpg) | |
| femaleAndean hillstar (Oreotrochilus estella) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Tribe: | Lesbiini |
| Genus: | Oreotrochilus Gould, 1847 |
| Type species | |
| Trochilus estella[1] d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838 | |
| Species | |
see text | |
Thehillstars arehummingbirds of the genusOreotrochilus. They are native to theAndes inSouth America.
TheUrochroa hillstars are not closely related.
Their genus contains seven species:[2]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuadorian hillstar
| Oreotrochilus chimborazo (Delattre & Bourcier, 1846) Three subspecies
| Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Andean hillstar
Male
| Oreotrochilus estella (d'Orbigny, 1838) | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Green-headed hillstar
| Oreotrochilus stolzmanni Salvin, 1895 | southern Ecuador and northern and central Peru | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| White-sided hillstar
Male
| Oreotrochilus leucopleurus Gould, 1847 | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Black-breasted hillstar
Male
| Oreotrochilus melanogaster Gould, 1847 | Peru | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Wedge-tailed hillstar
Male
| Oreotrochilus adela (d'Orbigny, 1838) | Argentina and Bolivia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Blue-throated hillstar
| Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus Sornoza-Molina, Freile, Nilsson, J, Krabbe & Bonaccorso, 2018 | Ecuador | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
The birds are approximately 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length with fairly long, slightly decurved black bills. They aresexually dimorphic. The male usually has aniridescent green throat, or bluish-purple in the Ecuadorian hillstar, with dull greenish upperparts and pale flanks. The central underparts are usually black, but are brown in the Andean hillstar. The tail is usually dark with a contrasting white pattern; the pattern is cinnamon in the wedge-tailed hillstar, and the tail is entirely dark in the black-breasted hillstar. The female is duller, with a whitish throat densely spotted with green, white,buff, or cinnamon underparts, and a dark tail with a white pattern.
These highlyterritorial hummingbirds are found in temperate andalpine grassland, scrub and woodland at altitudes of 1,200 to 5,200 metres (3,900 to 17,100 ft). The Ecuadorian hillstar has been observed nesting at high altitudes on the cliffs ofCotopaxi.[3] This species is known tonest colonially.[4]
Many hillstars feed mainly onshrubs of the Andean plant genusChuquiraga, and some species may be limited to them.[5]
The genus has undergoneallopatric speciation.
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