Violet-fronted Brilliant
Common name: Violet-fronted Brilliant
Scientific name: Heliodoxa leadbeateri
Clades: Heliantheini - Brilliants
The Violet-fronted Brilliant is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long. The males weigh 7.1 to 8.5 g (0.25 to 0.30 oz) and the females 6.6 to 7.5 g (0.23 to 0.26 oz).
A Violet-fronted Brilliant hummingbird of Andean cloud forests is a large, dark hummingbird. There is no difference in color between the sexes, but only the male has a violet crown. In the female, the underparts are dull white with green speckles and a white malar mark. Across a wide range of elevations, this species is found in humid montane forests. Fly-catching for aerial insects is a common method of foraging among mid-story flowers. The breeding behavior of this species is little known.
4 subspecies:
H. l. leadbeateri
Distribution N Venezuela (coastal mountains from Falcón E to Miranda).H. l. parvula
Distribution Sierra de Perijá, and Andes of W Venezuela (Trujillo S to Táchira) and Colombia (E Andes S to Macarena Mts, locally in Magdalena and Cauca Valleys, and possibly also N end of C Andes).H. l. sagitta
Distribution E Ecuador and N Peru (S to Pasco).H. l. otero
Distribution E slope in C and S Peru and NW Bolivia (to Cochabamba).
taken in Colombia
taken in Peru
