Green-bellied Hummingbird
Green-bellied Hummingbird (Saucerottia viridigaster)
Name Origin:
The genus Saucerottia honors Antoine Constant Saucerotte, an 18th-century French naturalist. The species epithet viridigaster is Latin for “green-bellied” (viridis = green, gaster = belly), perfectly describing the bird’s lustrous underparts.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in)
⚖️ Weight: 4.0–4.5 g (0.14–0.16 oz)
🌎 Range: Eastern Andes of Colombia and western Venezuela
🧭 Elevation: 600–2,000 m (2,000–6,600 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest, edges, and secondary woodland
🧬 Clade: Trochilini “Emeralds” (Andean and foothill hummingbirds)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
Two subspecies:
1. Saucerottia viridigaster viridigaster
Distribution: Found along the eastern slope of the East Andes of Colombia, in Boyacá, Arauca, Casanare, Cundinamarca, and Meta, southward as far as the Sierra de la Macarena in western Meta. Northward, it is replaced by iodura in the Venezuelan Andes.
2. Saucerottia viridigaster iodura
Distribution: Occurs in the Andes of western Venezuela, specifically in southwestern Barinas, southern Mérida, and Táchira, extending into extreme northeastern Santander, Colombia.
Species Overview
The Green-bellied Hummingbird is a radiant Andean species distinguished by its rich metallic green underparts and bronzy tail. It thrives along humid forest edges and secondary growth in the foothills of the Eastern Andes, where it visits flowering shrubs and small trees. Despite its localized range, it remains fairly common in suitable habitats and forms part of the diverse Saucerottia complex distributed across tropical America.
Male Description:
The male has brilliant emerald-green plumage throughout, with a bronzy tail that gleams violet in strong light. The upperparts are metallic green, and the underparts are a uniform, darker green with a subtle bluish sheen on the breast. The bill is black and slightly decurved.
Female Description:
The female is paler and slightly duller than the male, with grayish underparts lightly washed with green, and a shorter tail with whitish tips on the outer feathers.
Habitat & Behavior:
Found in humid montane forests, secondary woodland, and edges, typically between 600 and 2,000 meters elevation. It frequents flowering plants such as Inga, Palicourea, and Hamelia, and supplements its nectar diet with small insects. The Green-bellied Hummingbird often perches on exposed twigs near feeding areas, maintaining small territories.
Conservation Note:
The Green-bellied Hummingbird is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains locally common across its range. However, ongoing deforestation and agricultural expansion in the Eastern Andes may reduce suitable habitat. The species occurs in several protected regions, including Tamá National Park (Colombia/Venezuela border) and Sierra de la Macarena National Park (Colombia). Conservation of montane forest corridors is crucial to maintaining gene flow between the Colombian and Venezuelan populations.
Below is the Green-bellied Hummingbird (Saucerottia viridigaster viridigaster)
Photographed at Hacienda La Leona Birdwatching, Cundinamarca, Colombia
This individual belongs to the nominate subspecies viridigaster, found along the Eastern Andes of Colombia from Santander through Boyacá and Cundinamarca, extending slightly into western Venezuela. It inhabits dry to humid montane forest edge, coffee plantations, and shrubby slopes between 1 200 and 2 200 m.
