Mountain Velvetbreast

Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi)

Name Origin:
The genus Lafresnaya honors Baron Noël de Lafresnaye, a French ornithologist. The species epithet lafresnayi is also named in his honor.

Quick Facts

🪶 Length: ~11.5 cm (4.5 in)
⚖️ Weight: 4.5–5.5 g
🌎 Range: Andes of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru
🧭 Elevation: 1,800–3,200 m
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small arthropods
🏡 Habitat: Humid montane forest, forest edge, and shrubby slopes
🧬 Clade: Heliantheini (a.k.a. “brilliants”)
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)

Subspecies & Distribution

Seven subspecies:

1. Lafresnaya lafresnayi liriope
   Distribution: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern Colombia

2. Lafresnaya lafresnayi longirostris
   Distribution: Central Andes of northern Colombia (Antioquia region)

3. Lafresnaya lafresnayi greenewalti
   Distribution: Andes of western Venezuela (Mérida and Trujillo)

4. Lafresnaya lafresnayi lafresnayi
   Distribution: Eastern Andes of Colombia and extreme southwestern Venezuela

5. Lafresnaya lafresnayi saul
   Distribution: Southwestern Colombia south through Ecuador to extreme northern Peru

6. Lafresnaya lafresnayi orestes
   Distribution: Eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes (Amazonas to Huánuco)

7. Lafresnaya lafresnayi rectirostris
   Distribution: Central Andes of Peru (south of Huánuco to Junín)

Species Overview

The Mountain Velvetbreast is a highland hummingbird of the northern Andes. Males are unmistakable with their velvet-black bellies, metallic green upperparts, and sharply contrasting white in the tail. Females are green above and whitish below with green spotting. Its long, gently decurved bill is adapted for feeding on deep tubular flowers. It is typically found along forest edges, shrubby ravines, and montane slopes where flowering bushes are abundant.

Male Description:
Glittering emerald upperparts, bright green throat, blackish-velvet belly, and pale outer tail feathers. Bill is long and evenly decurved.

Female Description:
Green above, buffy below with dark green spotting. Tail slightly rounded with pale tips, and bill shorter than in males.

Habitat & Behavior:
Prefers edges of humid montane forest, shrubby clearings, and slopes rich in tubular flowers. Often forages using a trap-lining strategy but may become territorial around flowering bushes. Occurs singly or in pairs, typically at mid to high elevations.

Conservation Note:
This species remains widespread and locally common in highland habitats across the Andes. Although vulnerable to deforestation, it is often found in disturbed areas where flowering shrubs persist. Many populations occur within protected reserves and national parks.

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Below is the Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi lafresnayi)

Photographed at Reserva Bosque Guajira, Cundinamarca; Hacienda El Bosque, Caldas; and ProAves Manaure, Cesar, Colombia

These individuals belong to the subspecies lafresnayi, which is distributed across the Eastern Andes of Colombia and adjacent areas of southwestern Venezuela. It occupies humid montane forest edges and shrubby slopes between 1,800 and 3,200 meters. This form is characterized by a medium-length decurved bill, green upperparts, and in males, a deep velvet-black belly contrasting with the emerald throat and chest. Females show spotted underparts and a less contrasting belly.