White-bellied Woodstar

The White-bellied Woodstar is found discontinuously along the eastern Andean slopes of Ecuador, typically between 1,500 and 2,800 meters, where it frequents humid forest edges, pastures, and semi-cultivated areas. Though small and inconspicuous, it is locally fairly common and often overlooked due to its bumblebee-like flight and ability to forage within the territories of larger hummingbirds. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is suspected to be slowly declining due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Natural history observations reveal a non-territorial nectarivore that also consumes small arthropods, with nesting behavior poorly known but one nest found about 10 meters high in a forest tree.