The glowing puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs along the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Venezuela. It favors humid montane and cloud forests, forest edges, and shrubby clearings, and often uses elfin forest and páramo margins. Birds commonly work along stream corridors and edges where flowering shrubs are concentrated. It also visits secondary growth and gardens within its elevational band.
Altitude Range
1800–3600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Named for the fluffy, white feather "puffs" on its legs, the glowing puffleg is a high-Andean hummingbird adapted to cool, wet climates. It is an important pollinator of cloud-forest plants, visiting tubular flowers and transferring pollen between patches. Males are strongly territorial around rich flower clumps.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering
Social Behavior
Typically forages alone, with males defending dense flower patches against intruders. Courtship involves chases and display flights near nectar sources. The female builds a small cup nest of plant fibers bound with spider silk, usually on a sheltered branch over a stream or within dense vegetation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are high, thin chips and short metallic trills given while perched or between feeding bouts. Wing hum is audible at close range and may intensify during territorial chases.
Plumage
Compact hummingbird with bright, iridescent green plumage that can appear bronzy in certain light; dark bluish tail; and conspicuous dense white feather tufts covering the legs.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar from tubular flowers, including shrubs and small trees typical of Andean cloud forests. It frequently visits Ericaceae, Melastomataceae, and bromeliads. To meet protein needs, it also hawks small insects and gleans arthropods from foliage. Territorial individuals defend rich nectar sources vigorously.
Preferred Environment
Most often feeds along forest edges, riparian thickets, and flowering shrub belts, especially where sunlight stimulates bloom. It also uses clearings, secondary growth, and páramo margins when floral resources peak.
