The glossy flowerpiercer is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, northern Peru)
Typical Environment
Inhabits humid montane cloud forest edges, elfin forest, and shrubby páramo ecotones. Frequently uses second growth, hedgerows, and high-Andean gardens with abundant tubular flowers. Often forages at forest margins and along roadsides or clearings where flowering plants are concentrated. Tolerates disturbed habitats provided floral resources are available. Occurs in pairs or loose groups within dense shrub layers.
Altitude Range
2200–4000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The glossy flowerpiercer has a distinctive slightly upturned, hooked bill used to pierce the base of tubular flowers and sip nectar. While often a nectar robber, it also takes small insects and spiders for protein. Males show a blue-black glossy sheen that catches light in the high Andes, whereas females are duller brown and more cryptic. It readily visits gardens with fuchsias and other tubular blossoms at high elevations.
Colombia
Temperament
active and somewhat territorial around flowering shrubs
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick, darting movements
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and may join mixed-species flocks along forest edges. Defends rich nectar sources from conspecifics and other small nectar feeders. Builds a cup-shaped nest low in dense shrubs or at forest margins.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a thin, high-pitched twittering warble interspersed with sibilant notes. Calls include sharp tsee or tsip notes and brief buzzy trills, often given while foraging.
Plumage
Male glossy blue-black with metallic sheen; female and immature are dull olive-brown to cinnamon-brown with paler, sometimes buffy underparts. Both sexes have a fine, slightly upturned bill with a hooked tip adapted for piercing flowers.
Diet
Specializes in robbing nectar by piercing the base of tubular flowers such as Fuchsia and other high-Andean blooms. Also hawks or gleans small insects and spiders from foliage to supplement its diet. Will occasionally take small berries, especially when flowers are scarce. Opportunistic around flowering shrubs in both natural and human-modified habitats.
Preferred Environment
Feeds primarily at forest edges, shrubby clearings, and gardens where tubular flowers are concentrated. Forages from low to mid-canopy levels, often hovering briefly to access nectar.
