Buff-tailed coronet

The buff-tailed coronet shares genus Boissonneaua with two other coronets, the chestnut-breasted (B. matthewsii) and velvet-purple (B. jardini). It has two subspecies, the nominate B. f. flavescens and B. f. tinochlora. Buff-tailed coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens flavescens) Caldas 2.jpg|B. f. flavescensColombia Buff-tailed coronets (Boissonneaua flavescens) Caldas.jpg|B. f. flavescensColombia Buff-tailed coronets (Boissonneaua flavescens) Caldas 2.jpg|B. f. flavescensColombia Buff-tailed Coronet JCB.jpg|B. f. tinochloraEcuador ==Description==

The buff-tailed coronet is long and weighs . Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. Males of the nominate subspecies are mostly shining green, with a buff belly accented by green spots. The underwing coverts are cinnamon and show in flight. The central tail feathers are bronzy and the rest are buff with bronze tips and edges. It has small white tufts on the legs. The nominate female has more buff on the underparts and the bronze of the tail is less extensive. The buff parts of both sexes of B. f. tinochlora have a cinnamon cast and there is more bronze on the tail feathers' tips. ==Distribution and habitat==

The nominate subspecies of buff-tailed coronet is found from the Andes of western Venezuela's Mérida state south and west through all three Andean ranges of Colombia. B. f. tinochlora is found from southwestern Colombia south along the west slope of the Andes as far as Cotopaxi Province in central Ecuador and also in a few places on Ecuador's eastern Andean slope. The species inhabits the interior and edges of humid to wet montane forest, cloudforest, and elfin forest. It also occurs in more open shrubby landscapes. In elevation it ranges from . ==Behavior==

Movement The buff-tailed coronet is sedentary. Buff-tailed coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens tinochlora) in flight Paz de las Aves.jpg|B. f. tinochlora Buff-tailed coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens tinochlora) in flight Paz de las Aves 2.jpg|feeding Buff-tailed coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens tinochlora) in flight Paz de las Aves 3.jpg|near Nanegalito, Ecuador Breeding Buff-tailed coronet breeding behavior has been recorded between November and March. It builds a cup nest of moss and lichen that is usually attached to a branch between above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs. Vocalization What is thought to be the buff-tailed coronet's song is "a continuous series of single high-pitched 'tsit' notes." It sometimes sings with several others of its species nearby. It also makes a "squeaky twittering, with rising piping notes and stuttering rattles," especially when interacting with other hummingbirds. ==Status==

The IUCN has assessed the buff-tailed coronet as being of Least Concern, though its population size and trend are not known. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered rare to locally common in different parts of its large range. It occurs in at least one protected area in Colombia. ==References==