Golden-tailed starfrontlet
The golden starfrontlet (Coeligena bonapartei eos ) or golden-tailed starfrontlet, is usually considered a subspecies of hummingbird endemic to Venezuela. It is often considered a subspecies of the golden-bellied starfrontlet, C. bonapartei.
In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Flocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
Al
Altitudinal MigrantAltitudinal migration is a short-distance animal migration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back. Altitudinal migrants change their ele...
G
starts withIn appearance it strongly resembles the golden-bellied starfrontlet, though it is 0.1 gram heavier at 6.6 g and has a bill that is 3 mm shorter at 30 mm. This species is more golden-bronze overall and has a mostly rufous tail and secondary wing feathers.
It is "fairly common" but local in "wet mossy montane forest and forest borders" in the Venezuelan Andes at altitudes from 1400 to 3200 meters (4600 to 10,500 feet). It migrates upward during the rainy season (May or June); the time of its return migration is not known.
The golden starfrontlet is "hyperactive" even for a hummingbird. Individuals occur at low and medium heights, flying from one flowering plant to another along their established paths or "trap-lines", seldom behaving territorially. They take nectar by hovering and reaching up with their bills into long-tubed flowers such as Centropogon, Fuchsia, and plants of the heath family. They also catch flying insects by "helicoptering" in mid-air, glean insects off leaves, and join mixed feeding flocks. They are quite willing to help mob small owls.