Introduction

The Black Flowerpiercer (Diglossa humeralis) is a species of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 in the Thraupidae family of the order Passeriformes. The family Thraupidae is known for tanagers and other very similar species of birds, but it is still facing classification issues. The Black Flowerpiercer is found in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, and Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 is subtropical or tropical moist mountains, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland

Shrubland

Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...

, and heavily degraded former forest.

Description

13-14cm with adults uniformly black (slightly glossy black with subtle blue gloss in males). They have brown eyes and a black bill with a grey base. Females are a duller black with no blue gloss and their wings and tail are brownish. Juvenile birds are also duller.

Subspecies

• D.h. aterrima (Ecuador, south Colombia)- same description as above
• D.h. humeralis (East Andes in north & south Colombia, southwest Venezuela)- Male dull black with blueish shoulder and small greyish rump; Females are very dark brown with the grey rump less clear.
• D.h.nocticolor (Santa Marta in Colombia, Perija in Venezuela)- All black with only slight gloss and dark grey rump, female slightly duller than male

Voice

A rapid series of squeaky trills and twitters even faster than the Glossy Flowerpiercer(Diglossa lafresnayii). The Black Flowerpiercer sounds almost like the Cinereous Conebill (Conirostrum cinereum).

Distribution and Habitat

Found in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Subtropical zone to Paramo, at 2,175 - 4,000m, but mostly in 2,700 - 3,400m at edges of dense wet forest. Also found in scattered vegetation, shrubby clearings, eucalyptus plantations, parks, and gardens.

Behavior

Drinks nectar and consumes small invertebrates. Black Flowerpiercers move quickly and are more active in lower parts of the forest. The are mainly solitary or found in pairs.