Buff-tailed Coronet

In Ecuador, the Buff-tailed Coronet is found primarily along the western Andean slope, from southwestern Colombia south to Cotopaxi Province, with scattered records on the eastern slope as well. It inhabits humid montane forests, cloudforest edges, and elfin woodlands between 2,000 and 3,500 meters, where it is a year-round resident and considered fairly common. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with no major population declines currently documented. Highly territorial and aggressive at flowering trees, it feeds on nectar from native shrubs and captures small insects mid-air, while females build moss-lined nests and raise young alone during the breeding season from November to March.