Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Fawn-breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides)
Name Origin:
The genus Heliodoxa is derived from Greek helios (“sun”) and doxa (“glory”), referring to the brilliant metallic colors of these hummingbirds. The species name rubinoides means “ruby-like,” likely referencing the bird’s vibrant iridescent throat sheen.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 11–12.5 cm (4.3–4.9 in)
⚖️ Weight: 6.5–8 g (0.23–0.28 oz)
🌎 Range: Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
🧭 Elevation: 600–2,500 m (2,000–8,200 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small arthropods
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane and cloud forest, forest edge, and clearings
🧬 Clade: Heliantheini “Brilliants” (Andean montane hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Three subspecies:
1. Heliodoxa rubinoides rubinoides
Distribution: Andes of western Venezuela and northern Colombia, south through central and eastern Andes of Ecuador.
2. Heliodoxa rubinoides aequatorialis
Distribution: Western Andes of Ecuador, south to northern Peru (Cajamarca and Amazonas).
3. Heliodoxa rubinoides cervinigularis
Distribution: Eastern Andes of central and southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia (La Paz to Cochabamba).
Species Overview
The Fawn-breasted Brilliant is a graceful, medium-large Andean hummingbird recognized by its rich buff-colored belly and gleaming green plumage. It is common throughout humid montane forests, where it frequents forest borders, clearings, and shady gardens. Its wide range and adaptability make it one of the most familiar Heliodoxa species in the Andes.
Male Description:
The male features vivid metallic green upperparts, a brilliant bluish-green throat, and pale buff to fawn underparts. The tail is bronze-green with a blue gloss, and the bill is long, straight, and black. The contrast between the shining green chest and warm belly gives the bird its name.
Female Description:
The female has bronzy-green upperparts, a whitish throat speckled with green, and pale buff underparts. She lacks the male’s intense throat iridescence and is slightly smaller, with a more rounded tail.
Habitat & Behavior:
Occupies humid montane and cloud forests between 600 and 2,500 meters, most often at forest edges, along rivers, and in shaded gardens. Feeds on nectar from Fuchsia, Bomarea, Inga, and Palicourea, often defending favorite feeding sites. The Fawn-breasted Brilliant is steady in flight and perches conspicuously between feeding bouts, making it a frequent subject for observation and photography in Andean reserves.
Conservation Note:
The Fawn-breasted Brilliant is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common and widespread throughout its range. Although some populations are affected by deforestation and fragmentation, the species adapts well to secondary growth and gardens. It occurs in numerous protected areas, including Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador), Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park (Peru), and Madidi National Park (Bolivia). Continued protection of montane forest corridors will help sustain healthy populations of this luminous Heliodoxa species across the Andes.
Below is the Fawn-breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides rubinoides)
Photographed at Reserva Ecológica Río Blanco – Lodge, Caldas, and La Florida – Bosque de Las Aves, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
These individuals belong to the subspecies rubinoides, which occurs throughout the Andes of Colombia and extends south into northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits humid montane forest and cloud forest edge between 1,200 and 2,800 meters, frequenting flowering shrubs and forest gaps.
Below is the Fawn-breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides aequatorialis)
Photographed at Owlet Lodge, Amazonas, Peru
This individual belongs to the subspecies aequatorialis, which occurs from southern Ecuador south into northern Peru (Amazonas and San Martín). It inhabits similar elevations (1,400–2,500 meters) in humid montane forest and forest edge, often near flowering clearings or ridge trails.
The aequatorialis form is slightly darker and more bronzy above than rubinoides, with a deeper buff tone on the underparts. It forages methodically among flowers in the mid-story and canopy, often visiting the same circuit of blossoms each day.
