Sapphire-vented Puffleg

The Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani) is found along the western and central Andes of Ecuador, from Nariño in southern Colombia to Cotopaxi and Azuay provinces, typically inhabiting humid montane forests, elfin woodlands, and grassy páramo edges between 2,400 and 4,000 meters. Though its occurrence is patchy, it is locally common within suitable habitat, often seen foraging at forest openings and shrubby slopes. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but its population is suspected to be slowly declining due to habitat degradation and forest loss. A sedentary nectarivore, it shows no migratory behavior and nests solitarily in mossy vegetation, with breeding likely timed to coincide with seasonal flowering peaks.