Green-tailed Trainbearer

The Green-tailed Trainbearer is found along the Andean highlands of Ecuador, primarily on the intermontane slopes and valleys between 1,800 and 3,500 meters, where it frequents shrubby páramo edges, open woodlands, and gardens. It is locally common and often conspicuous, especially males with their long iridescent tails, and shows a marked preference for Chuquiraga and other native flowering plants. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population trend and broad elevational range that buffers it from immediate threats. Natural history observations highlight its territorial nectar-feeding behavior, occasional insect foraging, and nesting in low shrubs, with breeding likely tied to seasonal flowering peaks.