Emerald-bellied Puffleg

Scientific name: Eriocnemis alinae

The Emerald-bellied Puffleg is a small, high-Andean hummingbird found from eastern Colombia through Ecuador into central Peru, where it inhabits humid montane and cloud forests rich in flowers. The number of mature individuals is unknown, its population trend is Decreasing, its extent of occurrence is about 493,000 km², it is assessed as Least Concern, and it is considered not a migrant.

At a Glance

• Family: Trochilidae (hummingbirds)

• Clade: Lesbiini – Coquettes

• Genus: Eriocnemis — Andean pufflegs with dense feather “puffs” around the legs

• Range: Eastern Andes from eastern Colombia and eastern Ecuador south to central Peru

• Habitat: Subtropical and tropical moist montane forest and cloud forest, including forest interior, small openings, and heavily degraded former forest with good shrub and flower cover

• Elevation: Roughly 1,600–2,800 m, most often between about 2,300 and 2,800 m

• Length: About 9 cm (3.5 in)

• Weight: Around 4 g

• Number of mature individuals: Unknown

• Population trend: Decreasing

• Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

Name Origin
The genus name Eriocnemis comes from Greek roots meaning “wool” and “leg,” referring to the fluffy feather “puffs” around the legs that give pufflegs their name. The species name alinae (often written aline in some sources) honors a woman named Aline or Alina, likely a dedication by the original describer. The English name “Emerald-bellied Puffleg” describes the bird’s characteristic bright green belly and white leg puffs.

Subspecies & Distribution
Two subspecies are recognized:

• Eriocnemis alinae alinae
  Found in the eastern Andes of Colombia and eastern Ecuador.

• Eriocnemis alinae dybowskii
  Occurs in the eastern Andes of northern and central Peru.

Together these subspecies form a continuous band along the eastern Andean slopes from eastern Colombia through eastern Ecuador to central Peru, within humid montane forest and cloud forest zones.

Ledged
Green Resident

Species Overview
The Emerald-bellied Puffleg is a characteristic hummingbird of Andean cloud forests, often seen where mossy trees, epiphytes, and flowering shrubs create a lush mid- and understory. It tends to favor the forest interior and small openings rather than very open edges, but it can also occur in heavily degraded former forest if enough native shrubs remain. Despite a fairly wide range across three countries, ongoing deforestation and degradation of montane forest are contributing to a decreasing population trend, though numbers remain sufficient for a Least Concern categorization.

Male Description
Adult males are compact hummingbirds with shining dark green upperparts and a bright emerald to golden-green belly that gives the species its name. The throat is typically greenish, blending into the glittering green of the underparts, and they show conspicuous white leg puffs above a dark tail, producing the classic puffleg “booted” look. The tail is forked and dark, and the bill is straight and blackish. In good light, the contrast between the emerald belly, white leg puffs, and darker tail makes the male stand out in the dim cloud forest understory.

Female Description
Females resemble males but are somewhat duller and more patterned below. Their upperparts are green, while the underparts are paler with green spotting or scaling, especially on the throat and chest, which softens the solid emerald look. The leg puffs are also white, though they can appear slightly less dense than in males. Overall, females look like small green-backed hummingbirds with pale, green-spotted underparts and white leg puffs, best identified by their combination of size, structure, and typical high-Andean cloud forest habitat.

Habitat & Behavior
Emerald-bellied Pufflegs inhabit subtropical and tropical moist montane forest and cloud forest along the eastern Andes, using both forest interior and small openings, as well as heavily degraded former forest where sufficient shrub and flower cover remains. They often forage at low to mid-heights, visiting flowers of shrubs and small trees along trails, ravines, and within the understory. Their diet consists mainly of nectar from a variety of tubular flowers, and they also take small insects and spiders gleaned from foliage. The species is considered Not a Migrant, though it may make small local elevational shifts following flowering patterns and weather.

Population
The total number of mature individuals is not known, but the Emerald-bellied Puffleg is generally considered uncommon to locally fairly common in suitable cloud forest and montane forest across parts of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its range is moderately large (with an extent of occurrence of about 493,000 km²), yet habitat loss and degradation within this band are leading to a Decreasing population trend. Because it can use degraded forest with adequate shrub cover, it retains some resilience, but continued loss of intact cloud forest remains a concern.

Conservation
Emerald-bellied Puffleg is listed as Least Concern, reflecting its broad Andean distribution and presence in some protected areas, even though its population is declining. The main threats are deforestation for agriculture, pasture, and development, as well as fragmentation and degradation of montane forest and cloud forest along the eastern Andes. Conservation priorities include protecting remaining cloud forest and subtropical montane forest in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, maintaining native shrub layers in degraded areas, and ensuring connectivity between forest patches. Monitoring population trends and habitat change is important to prevent further declines in this emerald-bellied Andean specialist.

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Below is the Emerald-bellied Puffleg (Eriocnemis alinae dybowskii)

Photographed at Owlet Lodge, Amazonas, Peru

This individual belongs to the subspecies dybowskii, which occurs along the eastern Andes of northern and central Peru, from Amazonas and San Martín south to Huánuco. It inhabits humid montane forest, cloud forest edge, and shrubby slopes between 1,800 and 2,800 meters elevation.

Related species in the Eriocnemis genus (11 species total):

Please note: The content provided in this article reflects Anthony’s personal experience and photographic approach. Results can vary depending on light, weather, location, equipment, subject behavior, and field conditions.