The rufous-booted racket-tail is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
Region
Central Andes (Peru and Bolivia)
Typical Environment
Occupies humid montane and cloud forests on the east slope of the Andes, especially forest edges, clearings, and along ravines and streams. Frequently visits second-growth thickets and flowering gardens near forest. It favors areas with abundant tubular flowers, including epiphytes and roadside shrubs. Local movements track seasonal flowering, and it may descend slightly in drier or colder periods.
Altitude Range
600–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny hummingbird of Andean cloud forests, the rufous-booted racket-tail is named for the male’s striking rufous leg puffs (“boots”) and elongated outer tail feathers ending in dark rackets. It is part of the “brilliants” (tribe Heliantheini) within the Lesbiinae and is found on the east Andean slopes of Peru and Bolivia. Males perform animated display flights, often fanning and flicking the racketed tail while giving high, thin calls. Like other hummingbirds, it plays an important role in pollinating tubular flowers.
Temperament
active and territorial around rich flower patches
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering and darting
Social Behavior
Typically solitary at flowers but may gather loosely where blooms are dense. Males display by fanning the tail and performing quick pendulum-like flights near perches. Nests are tiny cups of plant down and moss, often decorated with lichens and placed on horizontal branches or forks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives thin, high-pitched tseet and tzip notes, along with soft twittering near feeding sites. During displays, adds rapid chips and mechanical wing hum; tail movements can produce faint whirring sounds.
Plumage
Iridescent green upperparts with a glittering green throat; males show prominent rufous leg puffs and extremely elongated outer tail feathers ending in dark racket tips. Underparts in males are greenish; females are whiter below with green spotting and lack the long rackets. Both sexes show a small whitish post-ocular spot and a contrastingly dark tail.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar from tubular flowers, including shrubs, vines, and epiphytes. Often patrols a route of favored blooms and may defend high-quality patches. Supplements nectar with small insects and spiders, which provide essential proteins, capturing them by hawking or gleaning from foliage.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest edges, gaps, and streamside tangles where flowers are abundant. Also visits second-growth thickets and gardens adjacent to montane forest.
