Buff-thighed puffleg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buff-thighed puffleg |
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| Conservation status | |
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Haplophaedia
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| Species: |
assimilis
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The buff-thighed puffleg (Haplophaedia assimilis) is a small, colorful hummingbird. It gets its name from the fluffy, buff-colored feathers on its legs. These special birds live in the high mountains of Bolivia and Peru in South America.
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Meet the Buff-Thighed Puffleg
This amazing bird is a type of hummingbird. It belongs to a group known as "brilliants." For some time, scientists thought the buff-thighed puffleg was just a kind of greenish puffleg. However, most experts now agree it is its own unique species. There are two slightly different types, or subspecies, of the buff-thighed puffleg.
What Does a Buff-Thighed Puffleg Look Like?
The buff-thighed puffleg is about 9 to 10 centimeters (3.5 to 4 inches) long. It weighs around 5 to 6 grams (0.18 to 0.21 ounces). That's about the weight of two pennies!
It has a straight, blackish bill. Adult birds of both sexes are mostly dark green. They have a slightly forked, blue-black tail. The special feathers on their legs, called "leg puffs," are creamy buff or whitish.
One subspecies, H. a. affinis, is a darker green. It also has a bluer tail. Its leg puffs are a pale reddish-brown color. Young buff-thighed pufflegs look like adults. They have brown edges on the feathers of their head and neck.
Where Do Buff-Thighed Pufflegs Live?
The buff-thighed puffleg lives in the Andes mountains. This mountain range runs through South America.
Finding Homes in the Andes
The H. a. affinis subspecies lives in northern and central Peru. It prefers the eastern slopes of the Andes. The other subspecies, H. a. assimilis, lives further south. You can find it from Peru's Department of Cuzco all the way into central Bolivia. This includes the Cochabamba Department.
Their Mountain Habitat
These birds like to live in humid or wet forests. They often stay in the undergrowth or at the edges of these forests. They live at high elevations, usually between 1,500 and 3,000 meters (4,900 and 9,800 feet) above sea level. However, they rarely live above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet).
How Buff-Thighed Pufflegs Behave
Seasonal Journeys
Scientists believe the buff-thighed puffleg moves to lower parts of the mountains during certain seasons. This is called seasonal dispersal.
What Do They Eat?
Buff-thighed pufflegs mostly eat nectar from flowers. They usually feed close to the ground. They are quite territorial and will defend groups of flowering bushes. Besides nectar, they also eat insects. They often pick insects off leaves. Sometimes, they will catch insects in the air while flying from a perch. This is called hawking.
Raising a Family
Not much is known about how buff-thighed pufflegs breed. We do know that the female bird takes care of the eggs all by herself. She lays two white eggs in her nest.
What Sounds Do They Make?
The song of the buff-thighed puffleg is a repeated, strong note. It sounds like "tsuk...tsuk...tsuk..." Sometimes, they add a double note, "tsi-tsuk." They also make a dry rattling sound and some chattering noises.
Conservation Status of the Buff-Thighed Puffleg
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has evaluated the buff-thighed puffleg. They have listed it as a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not currently considered to be in danger of extinction.
However, the exact number of these birds is not known. Experts believe their population might be slowly decreasing. The species is generally quite common. But one subspecies, H. a. affinis, has only been found in a few places.
