Coppery Metaltail (Metallura theresiae)

Identification & Behavior: ~10.5 cm (4.1 in). The male Coppery Metaltail is mostly coppery with a green iridescent gorget. The tail is dusky. The female is also mostly coppery with a less developed gorget and a tail with whitish spots on the tip of the outer tail feathers. Both sexes have a notched tail. The bill is relatively short, black, and straight. The relatively coppery and uniform plumage is unique in its range but see other metaltails.

Status: Endemic. The Coppery Metaltail is uncommon in humid montane forest and scrub on the east slope of the Andes at elevations between 2800-3550 m.

Name in Spanish: Colibrí Cobrizo.

Sub-species: Coppery Metaltail (Metallura theresiae parkeri), Graves, 1981. Cordillera de Colán (WC Amazonas), in N Peru.
(Metallura theresiae theresiae), Simon, 1902. E slope of Andes E of R Marañón and S to Cordillera Carpish N of R Huallaga (Huánuco), in N & C Peru.

Meaning of Name: Metallura:  Gr. Metallon=  metal and oura=  tail. theresiae: In honor of Thérèse Baer, wife of French natural history dealer and collector Gustave A. Baer.

See more of the Family Trochilidae