White-booted Racket-tail

In Ecuador, the White-booted Racket-tail inhabits humid montane forests and cloudforest edges on both Andean slopes, typically between 1,200 and 3,000 meters, with the subspecies O. u. melanantherus occurring locally in the northwest. It is a year-round resident and remains fairly common in suitable habitat, though its limited elevational range makes it sensitive to deforestation; the IUCN currently lists it as Least Concern. Males are unmistakable with their iridescent green plumage and elongated tail feathers tipped with oval “rackets,” which they display in courtship flights to attract females. Territorial and agile, this species feeds on nectar from tubular flowers and supplements its diet with small arthropods, nesting in moss-lined cups hidden in dense vegetation during the rainy season.