The white-sided flowerpiercer (''Diglossa albilatera'') is a fairly common and widespread species of Flowerpiercer. Flowerpiercers are a genus of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

within the Tanager family Thraupidae, with specially adapted bills that enable them to pierce the sides of flower blossoms to access the nectar. The white-sided flowerpiercer 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 ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s and heavily degraded former forest.

Taxonomy and systematics

The species was first described as ''diglossa albi-latera'' in 1843 by the French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye. The generic name ''Diglossa'' comes from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''diglossos'' (double-tongued; speaking two languages). The specific epithet ''albilatera'' derives from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''albus'' (white) and ''lateralis'' (flanks). The IOC recognizes four subspecies: * ''D. a. federalis'', found along the coastal cordillera of northern Venezuela * ''D. a. albilatera'' (the nominate subspecies), found in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

of Venezuela, 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 ...

on the Colombia-Venezuela border, the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

of Colombia, and all three ranges of the Andes south to southern Ecuador and probably to northern Peru * ''D. a. schistacea'', found in extreme southwest Ecuador and northwest Peru west of the Marañón River * ''D. a. affinis'', found in Peru from the watershed of the Utucamba River in Amazonas, east of the Marañón River, and on the west slope in

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

south to northwest Cuzco

Description

A fairly small flowerpiercer - slightly larger than a black-capped chickadee and slightly smaller than a great tit. Length is 12.2-13.2cm, mass is typically 9.84-10.2g. The male is a blackish-slate colour overall with the exception of white “sides” (pectoral tufts and underwing linings). On a perched bird these white markings are not always noticeable but when the bird flicks its wings as it frequently does the white flash is obvious. Females are olive-brown above and buffy-brown below, with the same white sides. Both males and females have dark brown irises, bills that are blackish (sometimes paler at the base of the lower mandible), and grey legs. Immature males resemble females but their plumage is a duller brown with blurred streaks on the breast. Juveniles are dark grey-brown with their dark tipped feathers giving a faintly scaled appearance.

References

white-sided flowerpiercer Birds of the Colombian Andes Birds of the Ecuadorian Andes Birds of the Peruvian Andes Birds of the Venezuelan Andes white-sided flowerpiercer Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Thraupidae-stub