Glowing Puffleg

Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestita)

Name Origin:
The genus name Eriocnemis combines the Greek erion (“wool”) and knemis (“leg”), referring to the hummingbird’s fluffy white leg tufts — a defining trait of the group. The species epithet vestita means “clothed” in Latin, an elegant nod to its richly iridescent plumage and feathered “boots.”

Quick Facts

• 🪶 Length: 9–10.5 cm (3.5–4.1 in)

• ⚖️ Weight: 5.5–6.5 g (0.19–0.23 oz)

• 🌎 Range: Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru

• 🧭 Elevation: 1,200–3,800 m (3,900–12,500 ft)

• 🌸 Diet: Nectar and small arthropods

• 🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest, cloud forest edge, and shrubby páramo transition zones

• 🧬 Clade: Heliantheini “Brilliants” (Andean montane hummingbirds)

• 📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Four subspecies:

1. Eriocnemis vestita paramillo
Distribution: Northern parts of the Western and Central Andes of Colombia (Antioquia).

2. Eriocnemis vestita vestita
Distribution: Northwestern Venezuela (Mérida) and the Eastern and Central Andes of Colombia, south to Cundinamarca and Huila.

3. Eriocnemis vestita smaragdinipectus
Distribution: Southern Colombia (Central Andes in Cauca) south through the Andes of Ecuador (south to Cañar).

4. Eriocnemis vestita arcosae
Distribution: Andes of southern Ecuador (Azuay) south to extreme northern Peru (eastern Piura and northern Cajamarca).

Species Overview

The Glowing Puffleg is among the most widespread and striking of the Eriocnemis pufflegs, known for its shimmering emerald plumage and prominent white leg puffs. Found along humid Andean slopes and cloud forests, it plays a key role as a mid-elevation pollinator. Its glowing green body and brilliant blue-violet belly make it one of the most visually captivating highland hummingbirds.

Male Description:
The male exhibits brilliant metallic green plumage throughout, with a blue-violet sheen on the belly and rump. The fluffy white leg tufts (“puffs”) are bold and rounded. The tail is dark blue or bronze-green, slightly forked, and the bill is straight and black.

Female Description:
The female is slightly duller, with bronze-green upperparts, a paler green belly, and smaller leg tufts. Her tail is shorter and rounded, and she lacks the male’s intense belly iridescence.

Habitat & Behavior:
Inhabits humid montane forest, cloud forest edges, and shrubby páramo zones, usually from 1,200–3,800 m. Feeds on nectar from Fuchsia, Bomarea, Brachyotum, and Palicourea, often defending feeding territories. It perches conspicuously on exposed branches between feeding bouts and produces a faint, buzzy trill in flight.

Conservation Note:
The Glowing Puffleg is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains locally common and widespread. Its tolerance of secondary and edge habitats supports stable populations, although deforestation and habitat fragmentation in mid-elevation zones pose localized risks. The species occurs in numerous protected regions, including Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park (Colombia), Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador), and Cutervo National Park (Peru). Preservation of cloud forest corridors is vital to maintaining this iridescent Heliantheini jewel across its Andean range.

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Below is the Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestita paramillo)
Photographed in Urrao, Western Andes (Antioquia), Colombia

This individual belongs to the subspecies paramillo, which is restricted to the Western Andes of northern Colombia, particularly in the Antioquia region and around the Paramillo Massif. In high-elevation areas like Urrao, this puffleg inhabits humid montane forests and páramo edges, frequently perching low near flowering shrubs where it often flashes its iridescent green plumage in shifting light.

Below is the Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestita vestita)
Photographed at the Hummingbird Observatory (Observatorio de Colibríes), Bogotá, Eastern Andes (Cundinamarca), Colombia

This individual represents the nominate subspecies vestita, which occurs throughout the Eastern and Central Andes of Colombia. In the high-elevation forests surrounding Bogotá, sites such as the Hummingbird Observatory provide ideal habitat with abundant flowering shrubs and feeders that attract this species regularly.

The vestita population is characterized by its brilliant emerald iridescence and distinctive white leg puffs, which contrast sharply with the darker body plumage. Commonly seen at páramo transition zones and cloud forest edges, this subspecies is one of the most frequently encountered highland pufflegs in the Eastern Cordillera.