Gorgeted Woodstar
Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor)
Name Origin:
The genus Chaetocercus derives from Greek chaite (“bristle”) and kerkos (“tail”), referring to the stiffened tail feathers typical of this genus. The species name heliodor means “gift of the sun,” from Greek helios (“sun”) and doron (“gift”) — an apt description of this shimmering, sunlit jewel of the Andes.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 6.5–7.5 cm (2.6–3.0 in)
⚖️ Weight: 2.2–2.8 g (0.08–0.10 oz)
🌎 Range: Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador
🧭 Elevation: 1,200–3,000 m (3,900–9,800 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Montane forest edge, clearings, and gardens
🧬 Clade: Mellisugini “Bees” (small, high-energy woodstars and coquettes)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Two subspecies:
1. Chaetocercus heliodor heliodor
Distribution: Andes of Venezuela (Mérida), Colombia, and western Ecuador, typically between 1,200–3,000 m.
2. Chaetocercus heliodor cleavesi
Distribution: Andes of northeastern Ecuador (western Sucumbíos to northwestern Morona-Santiago).
Species Overview
The Gorgeted Woodstar is a luminous miniature hummingbird of Andean montane forests. Despite its tiny size, it is highly territorial and displays remarkable agility in flight. The male’s glittering purple-pink throat and elongated tail feathers flash like a spark in the forest light, earning it the name “woodstar.” Its energetic behavior and high-elevation habitat make it a symbol of Andean cloud forest biodiversity.
Male Description:
The male is brilliant green above with a shimmering violet-pink gorget, a white chest band, and grayish underparts. The tail is deeply forked, with long, narrow outer feathers often held together in a needle-like shape. The bill is short and straight.
Female Description:
The female has green upperparts, buff underparts, and a rufous-tinged tail with dark tips. She lacks the male’s iridescent throat and elongated tail feathers but retains the same lively behavior and fast, darting flight.
Habitat & Behavior:
Found in humid montane forest edges, clearings, and gardens, often between 1,200–3,000 meters elevation. It feeds on nectar from small tubular flowers, such as Fuchsia, Rubus, and Salvia, and also takes tiny insects. The Gorgeted Woodstar exhibits a unique hover–pause–dart flight pattern, typical of Chaetocercus species, allowing it to feed efficiently while appearing to “float” in midair.
Conservation Note:
The Gorgeted Woodstar is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains locally common across its Andean range. Although its populations are stable, habitat loss and deforestation in mid-elevation cloud forests present ongoing threats. It occurs in several protected regions, including Sierra Nevada National Park (Venezuela), Los Nevados National Park (Colombia), and Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador). Preserving Andean forest corridors and native flower diversity will ensure the survival of this radiant Mellisugini hummingbird.
Below is the Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor heliodor)
Photographed at Rogitama Biodiversidad, Boyacá, Colombia
This individual belongs to the subspecies heliodor, which occurs along the Eastern Andes of Colombia, from Santander and Boyacá south through Cundinamarca to Meta, and into adjacent western Venezuela (Táchira). It inhabits humid montane forest, forest edge, and gardens between 1,200 and 2,700 meters elevation.
