Amethyst Woodstar

Scientific name: Calliphlox amethystina

The Amethyst Woodstar is a tiny bee‑hummingbird of tropical South America, found in semi‑open and open habitats from Colombia and Venezuela through much of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. Males show a glittering amethyst gorget and deeply forked tail, while females are greener and shorter‑tailed with warm cinnamon tones on the flanks.

At a Glance

Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)​
Clade: Mellisugini – Bees
Genus group: Calliphlox — bee‑hummingbird “woodstars” of tropical South America.
Range: Most of central and eastern South America east of the Andes, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, much of Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, and northeastern Argentina; absent from the central Amazon basin but present around its margins.
Habitat: Borders and clearings of humid forest, savanna, scrubby woodland, forest edges, gardens, parks, and other semi‑open to open landscapes; generally avoids the interior of closed forest.
Elevation: From sea level to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft).
Length: about 8.5–9 cm (around 3–3.5 in).
Weight: less than 3 g, making it one of the smallest hummingbirds in parts of its range.
Number of mature individuals: not quantified.
Population trend: Believed to be Decreasing.
Status: Least Concern (IUCN).

Name Origin

The genus name Calliphlox comes from Greek roots; the Ancient Greek kalliphlox means “beautifully blazing,” referring to the brilliant, flame‑like iridescence typical of woodstars. The species name amethystina is Latin for “amethyst‑colored,” alluding to the male’s vivid amethyst gorget. Together, Calliphlox amethystina can be interpreted as “the beautifully blazing, amethyst‑colored hummingbird.”

Subspecies and Distribution

Amethyst Woodstar is generally treated as monotypic, with no recognized subspecies.

The species occurs from eastern Colombia and southern Venezuela east through the Guianas and much of Brazil (mainly around but not within the central Amazon basin) and south into eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, and northeastern Argentina. It occupies a wide swath of tropical and subtropical lowlands and foothills, favoring semi‑open habitats and forest edges rather than dense interior forest.

Map provided by Datazone Birdlife.org

Species Overview

This is a very small hummingbird, one of the smallest in much of its range, giving a compact, delicate impression even among other hummingbirds. It is a classic “woodstar,” often seeming to appear briefly at flowers and then vanish, with quick, hovering feeding bouts and a light, agile flight style. The species is widespread and can adapt to human‑modified habitats such as gardens and park edges, though its global population is thought to be slowly decreasing.

Identification

Male

Adult males have green upperparts with a small white spot behind the eye, a neat white band across the rump, and a glittering amethyst gorget with a whitish band below it. The underparts are mostly pale or whitish with greenish or brownish tones on the lower flanks, and the tail is deeply forked, purplish‑black with greenish tips. In the field, the combination of tiny size, amethyst throat, white rump band, and deeply forked tail is distinctive among South American hummingbirds.

Female

Females are also green above with a white rump band, but they lack the full amethyst gorget, instead showing a whitish throat and breast with some spotting or wash and cinnamon or rufous tones on the flanks and undertail. Their tail is shorter and less deeply forked than the male’s, with more rufous at the base of the outer feathers. A small size, white rump band, and warm cinnamon flanks are key features for separating females and immatures from other tiny hummingbirds in the same habitats.

Habitat and Behavior

Amethyst Woodstars use a variety of semi‑open to open landscapes, including the borders of humid forest, clearings within forest, savannas, scrubby woodland, gardens, and parks, generally avoiding dense forest interior. They feed on nectar at low and mid‑level flowers, hovering briefly at blossoms and also visiting flowering trees and shrubs in more open country. As with many hummingbirds, they supplement their diet with small insects and spiders, taken in short sallies or gleaned from foliage. Movements are imperfectly known; the species is thought to be mostly sedentary, though local or seasonal shifts have been suggested in parts of Brazil and Venezuela.

Population and Threats

The IUCN assesses Amethyst Woodstar as Least Concern, with a very large range but an unknown global population size. The overall population is believed to be decreasing, probably due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation in parts of its tropical and subtropical range. Conversion of forest edges and savanna mosaics to intensive agriculture, urban expansion, and changes in flowering plant communities can all reduce the availability of suitable feeding and nesting sites.

Conservation

Despite its Least Concern status and wide distribution, the species benefits from conservation of semi‑open forested landscapes and maintenance of flowering shrubs and trees in both rural and peri‑urban environments. Protecting remnants of natural savanna, scrub, and forest edge, and preserving plant diversity in gardens and parks, helps sustain Amethyst Woodstars and many other small bee‑hummingbirds.

taken in Brazil

taken in Peru

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