Geoffroy's daggerbill, Geoffroy's wedgebill, or eastern wedge-billed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs on humid slopes and foothills of the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and locally into Bolivia. It favors montane evergreen forest, cloud forest edges, and especially riparian understory along streams and ravines. Birds use forest gaps and flowering shrubs at edges and clearings but usually remain near dense cover. It follows seasonal flower availability and may move along drainages to track blooms.
Altitude Range
600–2400 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This small Andean hummingbird is named for its distinctive wedge-shaped, dagger-like bill adapted for accessing tubular flowers. It frequents shaded ravines and streamside forest where flowers are abundant and often defends small nectar patches. Like many hummingbirds it also takes tiny insects for protein, catching them in mid-air. It may make short elevational movements following blooms.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering and darting
Social Behavior
Typically forages alone and defends small flower patches against other hummingbirds. Courtship involves aerial chases and displays around favored nectar sources. The female builds a tiny cup nest of plant fibers and spider silk, often placed on a horizontal twig or sheltered bank near water, and incubates two eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are thin, high-pitched tseet or tzip notes given from low perches near feeding sites. During territorial disputes it adds sharper chips and a rapid buzzy chatter.
