Blue-fronted Lancebill
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae)
Name Origin:
The genus name Doryfera comes from the Greek dory meaning “spear” and phero meaning “to bear,” referring to the species’ long, spear-like bill. The species name johannae honors Johanna Verreaux, daughter of the French naturalist Jules Verreaux, who described many Neotropical birds in the 19th century.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 10.5–12 cm (4.1–4.7 in)
⚖️ Weight: 5–6 g (0.18–0.21 oz)
🌎 Range: Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Venezuela
🧭 Elevation: 800–2,300 m (2,600–7,550 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest, ravines, and forested streams
🧬 Clade: Lesbiini "Coquettes and Hillstars" (Andean hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN)
Subspecies & Distribution
1. D. j. johannae
Distribution: Andes of western Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador to northern Peru.
2. D. j. guianensis
Distribution: Isolated population in the tepui region of southern Venezuela and adjacent northern Brazil (Roraima) and western Guyana.
Species Overview
The Blue-fronted Lancebill is a sleek, forest-dwelling hummingbird of humid Andean slopes. Distinguished by its long, straight bill and glowing blue forehead, it specializes in feeding from long, tubular flowers inaccessible to many other hummingbirds. It is most often encountered along shaded streams and ravines deep within cloud forest.
Male Description:
The male has bronzy-green upperparts, a shimmering blue forehead and crown, and grayish underparts with green spotting on the sides. The bill is long, straight, and black, perfectly adapted for probing deep tubular flowers. The tail is bronze-green, slightly forked, and sometimes shows faint bluish reflections.
Female Description:
The female is similar but has less vivid blue on the crown, duller underparts, and more extensive gray or buff on the throat and belly. Her plumage lacks the metallic sheen of the male, and she often forages lower in dense undergrowth near shaded streams.
Habitat & Behavior:
Preferring humid montane forests and shaded ravines, the Blue-fronted Lancebill feeds primarily on nectar from long-tubed flowers such as Centropogon, Besleria, and Passiflora. It supplements its diet with small insects, which it gleans from foliage or captures in flight. The species is typically solitary and quiet, perching for long intervals between feeding bouts. Its flight is swift but less erratic than smaller hummingbirds, allowing precise hovering in dim forest light.
Conservation Note:
The Blue-fronted Lancebill is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains locally common in suitable habitat. However, deforestation and habitat fragmentation along Andean slopes pose ongoing threats to local populations. Protection of montane forest corridors and riparian zones is essential for the persistence of this unique nectar specialist.
Below is the Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae johannae)
Photographed at Reserva Arena Blanca, San Martín, Peru
This individual belongs to the nominate subspecies johannae, which occurs along the eastern Andean slope from southern Colombia through Ecuador and into northern Peru. It is typically found near fast-flowing streams and waterfalls within humid montane forest, where it specializes in feeding from tubular flowers adapted to its long, slender bill.
