The Perija starfrontlet (''Coeligena consita'') is an Endangered 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 "brilliants", tribe

Heliantheini Heliantheini is one of the two tribes that make up the subfamily Lesbiinae of the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other tribe in the subfamily is Lesbiini. The informal name "brilliants" has been proposed for this group as it includes the ge ...

in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in

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 ...

and Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

The Perija starfrontlet and most other members of genus ''Coeligena'' were at one time placed in genus ''Helianthea'' but have been in their current placement since the mid-1900s.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 30 January 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 30, 2023 The International Ornithological Committee (IOC), the

Clements taxonomy ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'' is a book by Jim Clements which presents a list of the bird species of the world. The most recent printed version is the sixth edition (2007), but has been updated yearly, the last version in 2022 ...

, and

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

's ''

Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

'' recognize the Perija starfrontlet as a monotypic species.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022 The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC) considers it to be a subspecies of the

golden-bellied starfrontlet The golden-bellied starfrontlet (''Coeligena bonapartei'') is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of th ...

(''C. bonapartei'') but is seeking a proposal to elevate it to species status.

Description

The Perija starfrontlet is about long including its bill. Adult males have a blackish crown, a glittering green forehead, and a small white spot behind the eye. Their upper back is shining dark green that transitions through greenish copper to the golden orange rump. The throat and breast are glittering green and the throat has a small deep blue patch. The rest of the underparts are variable, from glittering copper to reddish gold. The wings are dark with a rufous patch on the tertials. The slightly forked tail is golden bronzy green. The adult female's forehead is plain green and the postocular spot white to buffy orange; the rest of the upperparts are colored like the male's but are duller. The throat is buff and has green spots on its sides. The breast is mottled buff and green. The rest of the underparts are mostly cinnamon with a fiery gold belly and a coppery gold vent area. Juveniles resemble adult females.Palacios, C. (2022). Perija Starfrontlet (''Coeligena consita''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (N. D. Sly and S. M. Billerman, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gobsta2.01 retrieved February 1, 2023

Distribution and habitat

The Perija starfrontlet is found in the

Serranía del Perijá The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch ( Cordillera Oriental), in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), offici ...

that straddles the border between northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. It inhabits the interior and edges of humid forest, elfin forest, and some higher elevation open areas. In elevation it ranges from .

Behavior

Movement

The Perija starfrontlet is a permant resident.

Feeding

The Perija starfrontlet gathers nectar from tubular flowers, usually of low to medium height. It has been recorded feeding from plants of genera ''

Bomarea ''Bomarea'' is one of the two major genus, genera in the plant family Alstroemeriaceae. Most occur in the Andes,Guarin, F. A. (2005)Three new species of ''Bomarea'' (Alstroemeriaceae) from the Andean region of Colombia.''Novon'' 15(2) 253-58. but ...

'', '' Cavendishia'', '' Fuchsia'', ''Macleonia'', ''

Mutisia ''Mutisia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the tribe Mutisieae within the family Asteraceae. ''Mutisia'' has been named after José Celestino Mutis. It comprises about sixty species which can be found along the entire length of the Andes and i ...

'', and '' Palicourea''. In addition to feeding on nectar it captures small arthropods by gleaning from foliage, hovering, and by

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 ...

Breeding

Nothing is known about the Perija starfrontlet's breeding biology.

Vocalization

As of early 2023 neither xeno-canto nor the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had any recordings of the Perija starfrontlet's vocalizations.

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 Perija starfrontlet as Endangered. Its population is estimated at between 250 and 1000 mature individuals and is decreasing. Its habitat has been depleted and fragmented by clearing for colonization, ranching, mining, and illegal poppy cultivation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q31873706 Perija starfrontlet Perija starfrontlet Taxonomy articles created by Polbot