The buffy helmetcrest (''Oxypogon stuebelii'') is a Vulnerable species of

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

in the "coquettes", tribe

Lesbiini Lesbiini is one of the two tribes that make up the subfamily Lesbiinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other tribe is Heliantheini (brilliants). The informal name "coquettes" has been proposed for this group as the largest genus, ''L ...

of subfamily

Lesbiinae Lesbiinae is one of the six subfamily, subfamilies that make up the hummingbird family (biology), family Trochilidae. The subfamily is divided into two Tribe (biology), tribes: Heliantheini ("brilliants") containing 14 genera and Lesbiini ("coqu ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world'' Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip xls zipped 1 MBretrieved 27 May 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

The buffy helmetcrest was formerly considered to be a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of what was known as the bearded helmetcrest (''Oxypogon guerinii''). The buffy helmetcrest was promoted to species status when the bearded helmetcrest was split into four species based on a study of biometric and plumage data published in 2013. The nominate subspecies was renamed the

green-bearded helmetcrest The green-bearded helmetcrest (''Oxypogon guerinii'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World ...

. The buffy helmetcrest is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

Description

The buffy helmetcrest is long. It has a short straight black bill. The male has a long buffy and black crest and a mostly black face with a buffy-white "collar". Its upperparts are bronzy green. It has a thin glittering green and blue

gorget A gorget , from the French ' meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the thro ...

that forms a "beard". The rest of the underparts are grayish bronzy that blends to cinnamon-buff on the undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

. The tail is moderately long and forked. Its upper side is coppery to bronzy green with the outer feathers showing a wide white stripe; the underside is rufous with some pale cinnamon. The adult female is similar to the male but lacks the crest and beard, and its underparts are rufous buff to brownish with greenish flecks. Juveniles resemble the adult female; the male has a partial crest and beard.del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, C. J. Sharpe, G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Buffy Helmetcrest (''Oxypogon stuebelii''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bufhel1.01 retrieved February 25, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The buffy helmetcrest is found only on

Nevado del Ruiz The Nevado del Ruiz (), also known as La Mesa de Herveo ( en, Mesa of Herveo, the name of the nearby town) is a volcano on the border of the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, about west of the capital city Bogotá. It is a strat ...

, an active volcano in the Colombian Central Andes on the border of Tolima and Caldas departments and the surrounding area. It inhabits humid open ''

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

'' where it favors ''

Espeletia ''Espeletia'', commonly known as 'frailejones' ("big monks"), is a genus of perennial subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. The genus, which is native mainly to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, was first formally described in 1808. The genus was n ...

'' plants.

Behavior

Movement

The buffy helmetcrest is thought to be sedentary, but might move to lower elevations in the dry season like its congener the white-bearded helmetcrest (''O. lindenii'').del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, C. J. Sharpe, G. M. Kirwan, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). White-bearded Helmetcrest (''Oxypogon lindenii''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whbhel1.01 retrieved February 25, 2022

Feeding

The buffy helmetcrest feeds on nectar; it especially favors ''Espeletia schultzii''. It nectars by clinging to flowers rather than hovering. It also feeds on insects and their larvae. It catches insects on the ground or by jumping or

hawking Hawking may refer to: People * Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), English theoretical physicist and cosmologist *Hawking (surname), a family name (including a list of other persons with the name) Film * ''Hawking'' (2004 film), about Stephen Haw ...

from the ground or a perch. It picks larvae from vegetation.

Breeding

Nothing has been documented of the buffy helmetcrest's breeding

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonality, seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as environmental factor, habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples includ ...

Vocalization

The buffy helmetcrest's song is "a repeated, high-pitched, single note 'tsee'... epeatedevery 3–5 seconds)." During the wet season, males sing for minutes on end from a perch.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the buffy helmetcrest as Vulnerable. It has a very small range, and though much of that area is within Los Nevados National Park, its ''páramo'' habitat elsewhere is being rapidly degraded. Its population is estimated at under 1000 mature individuals and is believed to be decreasing.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17517323

buffy helmetcrest The buffy helmetcrest (''Oxypogon stuebelii'') is a Vulnerable species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the Wo ...

Birds of the Colombian Andes Endemic birds of Colombia